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Free article from Stratfor, an independent analysis group, which comes to the conclusion that the recently raided flotilla was simply bait for Israel in the hopes of creating an international incident in which Israel comes out looking like the bad guy, for the purposes of swaying public opinion. Its an interesting and fairly short read and I think would help place the Israeli-Palestinian question in its proper light. Anybody wishing to know how to to view and react to this incident from a purely analytical basis should read this.
Flotillas and the Wars of Public Opinion | STRATFOR
Excerpt
One should also check out this short dispatch for an analysis on regional power-shifting in the ME from Egypt to Turkey and how that influences each state's reaction to this incident.
http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/20100601_dispatch_turkish_flotilla_and_egypts_position
Flotillas and the Wars of Public Opinion | STRATFOR
Excerpt
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon charged that the mission was simply an attempt to provoke the Israelis. That was certainly the case. The mission was designed to demonstrate that the Israelis were unreasonable and brutal. The hope was that Israel would be provoked to extreme action, further alienating Israel from the global community and possibly driving a wedge between Israel and the United States. The operation’s planners also hoped this would trigger a political crisis in Israel.
A logical Israeli response would have been avoiding falling into the provocation trap and suffering the political repercussions the Turkish NGO was trying to trigger. Instead, the Israelis decided to make a show of force. The Israelis appear to have reasoned that backing down would demonstrate weakness and encourage further flotillas to Gaza, unraveling the Israeli position vis-à-vis Hamas. In this thinking, a violent interception was a superior strategy to accommodation regardless of political consequences. Thus, the Israelis accepted the bait and were provoked.
One should also check out this short dispatch for an analysis on regional power-shifting in the ME from Egypt to Turkey and how that influences each state's reaction to this incident.
http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/20100601_dispatch_turkish_flotilla_and_egypts_position
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