MEDIA REACTION; THE ISRAEL LOBBY; COLOMBIA; CHINA;

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 001757 SIPDIS STATE FOR INR/R/MR, I/GWHA, WHA, WHA/PDA, WHA/BSC, WHA/EPSC CDR USSOCOM FOR J-2 IAD/LAMA SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPAO OPRC KMDR PREL SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION; THE ISRAEL LOBBY; COLOMBIA; CHINA; 09/05/07; BUENOS AIRES ¶1. SUMMARY STATEMENT Today's key international opinion pieces are related to "The Israel Lobby," by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt; negotiations over hostage release in Colombia; and Chinese hackers' reiterated attacks on the US Pentagon's computing system. ¶2. OPINION PIECES AND EDITORIALS - "The Israel lobby in the US" Daily-of-record "La Nacisn" carries an op-ed piece by contributor Mario del Carril, who writes (09/05) "Yesterday, a new book appeared in the stores in Washington and other US cities - 'The Israel lobby and US foreign policy,' by Professors John J. Mearsheimer, from the University of Chicago, and Stephen M. Walt, from the Kennedy Institute, University of Harvard. "According to Mearsheimer and Walt's thesis, which is shared 'sotto voce' by many influential people in the US, the Israel lobby in the US has successfully manipulated US foreign policy to the point that the US-Israeli relationship has currently damaged US interests in the Middle East. The centerpiece of the argument is that during the Cold War, Washington strengthened its position in the Middle East by supporting Israel, although today that unwavering support hinders its ties to Arab countries. In this way, due to Israel's influence, the US neither objected to the 2006 war in Lebanon nor pressured Israel to reach a deal with the Palestinians and it aborted negotiations with Syria and Iran. "... Israel's friends and organizations defending the positions and clout of the Israel lobby have organized a campaign against the book... "... During the last six years, US interests in the Middle East have been damaged. The country has lost money and lives in an effort to create a political system in Iraq that is dysfunctional and with no promise. Many Americans wonder why they are there. Obviously enough, the Israel lobby does not want to answer this question by saying that the invasion and occupation of Iraq can only be explained in terms of Israel's national interests. If the average American comes to this conclusion, whether it is true or not, there will be an unpredictable reaction. This fear is not unjustified, although a problem cannot be solved by hiding it. Instead, it should be openly analyzed... This does not mean that Mearsheimer and Walt are right, but many people will believe they are right as long as many attempt to curtail their freedom of expression." - "Choices in the Colombian crisis" An editorial in leading "Clarn" reads (09/05) "New efforts are currently being made in Colombia aimed at releasing hostages and obtaining some kind of rapprochement between the FARC and the Government. "... The armed confrontation in Colombia has gone beyond anything known in Latin America for the last fifty years. Guerrillas have imposed themselves in vast areas of Colombia and questioned the power of the Government or replaced it in its basic role. "On the other side, the humanitarian situation of prisoners, kidnapped and people directly affected by the confrontation dishonors the international legislation on human rights. "The implications of the Colombian conflict go beyond the country's borders and involve some other countries and leaders, such as Venezuelan President Hugo Chvez in his mediator role. "The release of Ingrid Betancourt and the other hostages would be a first step towards seriously negotiating a peace accord." - "A tenacious adversary in a new front of war" Luisa Corradini, columnist of daily-of-record "La Nacisn," comments (09/05) "The number of Chinese civilian or military groups that are trained to launch cyber-attacks against 'enemy systems' is increasing. "And for most of those groups, the main enemy is the US Department of Defense. "Confronted with those permanent attacks, US Pentagon authorities had to admit that mysterious hackers managed to frequently access their computing systems in order to retrieve classified information. "... Between 2003 and 2005, a series of perfectly coordinated cyber-attacks hit the military, governmental websites and those of companies contracted by the USG. US Pentagon experts called this massive wave of cyber-attacks 'Titan Rain' (encoded name). "... Professor Jos Fernndez, from Montreal Polytechnic Institute, told 'La Nacisn' - It could be the Chinese military, corporations, it could be civilian groups aligned with official interests. We cannot know for sure. What we do know is that nothing or little is done in China without the Communist Party's authorization. "... US strategists have long known that the use of the armed forces is not the only way to subdue an enemy. The new war doctrine advises 'to make use of all means, including armed or non-armed forces, lethal or non-lethal weapons, to make the enemy accept one's own interests.' Chinese military agree on this." To see more Buenos Aires reporting, visit our classified website at: http://www.state.sqov.gov/p/wha/buenosaires WAYNE