The (Ex) Washington Realist

Just collecting some of the different perspectives on the aftermath of the IDF action against the flotilla attempting to create a direct sea link between Gaza and the outside world.

Over at World Politics Review, Judah Grunsteinmakes the following point:

... the assault has once again proven to be an unqualified disaster in terms of the Israeli armed forces' operational reputation. This creates a vicious circle with regard to the emphasis on liberty of action, since the IDF's deterrence is no longer based on its Entebbe-era veneer of Mission Impossible-like efficiency, but rather on the knowledge that the Israeli government is willing to use overwhelming and disproportionate force against all provocations, regardless of their threat level.

Dan Drezner is taking some heat (read the comments section) for making the following observation, the comparison (about their respective international positions) between Israel and North Korea:

Both countries face hostile regional environments. Both countries keep getting referred to the United Nations. And, in the past month, the great power benefactor is finding it more and more difficult to defend their behavior to the rest of the world.

Questions to ponder: what does this do for the Obama administration's efforts for sanctions on Iran? The argument that Iran is violating its international commitments and so should be sanctioned may be much harder to make. Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkey's foreign minister, is loudly proclaiming (when it comes to Israel) that "No state is above the law" . First the administration was handed a Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference that focused on Israel's non-declared nuclear program, and now this ...