NEW TREND--DEFINING RELEVANCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST: American Digest has identified a new meme beginning to make the rounds:

The ever-expanding throng of those who want to "get out now even if we have to come back later" seem to be trial-balooning a new Middle East meme. To wit, "That troublesome region? Hah, it isn't really important. Just a bunch of Arabs and Jews bopping about. Who cares?"

The American Interest showcases this devil-may-care attitude with The Irrelevance of the Middle East by Philip Auerswald: "As the 21st century unfolds, the Middle East (leaving Israel aside for the moment) will matter less and less to the United States and to most of the rest of the world." You've got to love that aside about leaving Israel aside.

Not to be outdone in the historical revisionism sweepstakes, Edward Luttwak at The American Spectator is out of the blocks and sprinting towards the exit with: "Arab-Israeli catastrophism is wrong twice over, first because the conflict is contained within rather narrow boundaries, and second because the Levant is just not that important any more."

I wrote about Luttwak a few days ago, and am of two minds about it. How much has world, and UN, involvement helped Israel in the past many years--as opposed to tying her hands or forcing her into concessions?

At this point though, does Israel have the ability--never mind the leadership--to defend itself on its own? IMRA in April 2006 noted that the US no longer saw Israel as a strong and reliable ally.

Ocean Guy, on the other hand, agrees with American Digest--in an excellent post, noting the very real threat of Iran and nuclear arms.

This is a meme that may well be on its way to becoming a policy.
[Hat tip: Larwyn]

Technorati Tag: Israel and Philip Auerswald and Edward Luttwak.