America First: Vivek’s Position on Israel

Rivalries and debates have existed and continue to affect countries and regions worldwide, thus a prerequisite of defending one’s own borders and citizens is existential to a nation because, without such enforcement, hostile invaders will infiltrate. Thus, a minimum requirement to be considered an independent country is to have the ability to survive and respond to challenges in any hostile environments that come to the surface. That is not to say that alliances between other nations don’t have value, but for a country to primarily rely on military/national security decisions on another country would ultimately undermine the independence of such a nation. Nationhood, therefore, isn’t a right; it’s a privilege that must be developed and maintained because, without it, other forces inevitably will engage in violence.

October 7th, 2023 was a day that will be marked in history as a dark day for the Jewish people. Violent animals from Gaza invaded cities in southern Israel to murder, torture, burn, behead, and capture men, women, children, and infants. These victims weren’t tortured because they did something wrong; they were tortured because they were born as Jews. This biological reality for terrorists wasn’t acceptable to them, so they decided to launch a full-frontal assault on normal people. The intense level of this tragedy has initiated a full-out war between Israel and Hamas which is Israel’s most existential since the Yom Kippur War 50 years ago. It is imperative and an obligation for Israel to not only defend itself from savage murderers like the ones they face but to prevent such a tragedy from ever occurring again. While all that is true about the situation in Israel, an important conversation on the role of the American alliance is vital at this moment.

Vivek Ramaswamy, a former biotech CEO announced that he was running for president on February 21st, 2023. Vivek, unlike the other candidates in the race, is a political outsider and an unconventional Republican candidate who has been making headlines due to his positions and statements. Many candidates have released their positions and solutions, but many of those solutions are recycled talking points from politicians of the past. Of course, a recycled policy is not in itself a negative, but refusing to revisit policies based on the current situation is self-damaging for any organization or country.

Vivek is the one candidate in this cycle challenging conventional thinking and talking points while being clear on alternatives and how he would implement his agenda. One of the issues that have surfaced in the campaign which is more relevant to present times is the question of the US-Israel relationship. Vivek in his unique style, has challenged talking points from both sides of the aisle. The result has led to accusations that he supports Hamas, or that he doesn’t support Israel, but such lazy accusations are furthest away from the truth.

Vivek identifies with the “American First” movement started by Donald Trump; he wants to take that movement to the next level if elected president by emphasizing the importance of factoring in American interests in every decision, especially foreign ones. Vivek’s opinion on Israel is simple: to support it, but to help its standing further in the Middle East to allow Israel to be more independent.

A few months ago, Vivek caused outrage when he said that he wanted to create an Abraham Accords 2.0 so that eventually America won’t be giving aid to Israel; the goal being to use the influence of the US to help Israel synthesize their economy in the Middle East by brokering peace deals for Israel with other Middle Eastern powerhouses like Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, thus making Israel less dependent on the US. On his campaign website, Vivek makes clear that he will not stop aid to Israel until the Israeli government asks them of such, but his entire point is that he wants to get Israel to a place where they have the ability to make such a decision. Recognizing the realities in the US and Israel including; the US’s border crisis, debt crisis, leadership crisis, and Israel’s incredibly hostile neighbors that want them wiped off the map, Vivek understands the solution: more independence for both nations.

America’s role in the world in recent decades has led to a failed invasion of Iraq resulting in 1 million deaths and the destruction of Iraq for the citizens that remain, an endless war in Afghanistan leading to over $2 trillion wasted, and funding a proxy war in Ukraine causing half a million deaths; suggesting to consider America’s interests in such decisions would be a good suggestion therefore. Thus, Vivek is applying the same standard for all foreign policy decisions that the United States currently makes by factoring our national interests.

Vivek’s unique position on Israel is the most support to Israel than any candidate running for president, as his position advances Israel, instead of tying her down. For decades, every national security decision that Israel has made was with the input of the US; it is commendable for the US to be supporting an ally like the US with such fortitude, but wouldn’t advancing such allies’ independent interests be more beneficial?! Israel agreed last week to a “4-hour daily humanitarian pause” in Gaza due to pressure from the Biden administration, is that really in the interests of Israel or is it just another example of being dependent on the US? Israel must show gratitude for every administration and politician that supports them, but American politicians must also realize that helping allies doesn’t always mean giving out handouts. American leadership in contrast could help advance the interests of her allies in ways far more beneficial than foreign aid; Vivek Ramaswamy understands this and it’s why I am supporting him for president.