Pakistan-U.S. Tension: Self-Interest at Work

Summary

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While pondering the current crisis in U.S.-Pakistan relations, my mind was drawn to a conversation that I had years ago with a Druze living on the Golan Heights. After hearing the familiar refrain about how terrible the Israelis were to have annexed the Golan, I remarked that Israel had done far more to develop the plateau than Syria. I then asked him why he would prefer to live in a poor police state instead of a wealthier, more free democracy.

His answer was logical: As long as there was even the slightest chance that Israel would eventually return the Golan to Syria as part of a comprehensive peace agreement, he would hedge his bets by publicly denouncing Israel at every opportunity. If the Golan stayed Israeli, he knew that the Israeli government wouldn't care about his denunciations. If, however, the Golan were handed over to the Syrians, he could not be accused of being a Zionist collaborator.

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Pakistan-U.S. Tension: Self-Interest at Work

In order to understand what the U.S. is asking Pakistan to do in its war in Afghanistan, I tried to imagine what my Druze friend's attitude towards Israel would be if its government announced that it would be leaving the Golan in three years, but would appreciate any help the local Druze could...

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