The trapped empire

The rise and fall of empires can span decades, if not longer. All indications remain that US decline is inexorable, not least because of its policy in the Arab region, writes
 Ramzy Baroud

"The US does not lack bright historians and sharp analysts capable of helping devise an alternative foreign policy. But the problem of "great" empires is that their ability to manoeuvre is oftentimes restricted by their size and the habitual nature of their conduct. They can only move forward, and when that is no longer possible they must retreat, ushering in their demise. US foreign policy is almost stuck when it is required to be agile. While the Middle East is finally breaking away from a once impenetrable cocoon, and China -- and Russia, among others -- is attempting to negotiate a new political stance, the US is frozen. It took part in the bombing of Libya because it knows of no other alternative to achieving quick goals without summoning violence. In Syria, it refuses to be a positive conduit for a peaceful transition because it is paralysed by its military failure in Iraq and fearful over the fate of Israel, should Syria lose its political centrality.
 Even if the US opts to stave off a catastrophic decline in the region, it is shackled by the invasive tentacles of Israel, the pro-Israel lobby and the latter's massive and permeating network, which crosses over competing media, political parties and ideological agendas. The US is now destined to live by the rules -- and redlines -- determined by Israel, whose national interests are barely concerned with the rise or demise of America. Israel only wants to ensure its supremacy in the "new" Middle East."
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