My thoughts on the Israel-UAE peace agreement:
Not historic. Not particularly important. And a reminder of why Israel, one of the region's few democracies, prefers that its Arab neighbors *not* be democratic
Not historic. Not particularly important. And a reminder of why Israel, one of the region's few democracies, prefers that its Arab neighbors *not* be democratic
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict isn't central. "Solving" it would be good, but it wouldn't address the region's fundamental problems. If Arab-Israeli peace happened, it would bring together Arab autocrats + Israel, none of whom want to see Arab citizens make their own decisions
Israel's anti-democratic foreign policy should be a major concern for U.S. policymakers because of its broader regional effects. If the U.S. ever got serious about supporting Arab democracy, Israel would see that as an existential threat—just as it did during the Arab Spring
What the UAE and Israel have in common is that they fear Arab democracy—and Arabs. The thought of Arabs voting en masse is frightening. It might be odd to call the UAE an "anti-Arab" state, but it's certainly a state that wishes to see Arab citizens docile, quiet, and powerless
