Analyst Criticizes American Policies Towards Mideast

American foreign policy in the Middle East is basically nationalistic and seeks a strong Israel to maintain a military and economic balance of power, Dr. Joseph Churba, former United States Air Force intelligence analyst, said last night in a lecture at Science Center A.

"American interest in Israel is motivated almost exclusively by nationalist goals," Churba said. "The American policy interest in the region is to avoid Soviet-U.S. nuclear entanglement," he added.

"The U.S. commitment to Israel is often evaluated in terms of morality and an ideological commitment to the Israelis. In truth, it is a rare coincidence of moral and strategic principles," Churba said.

A number of false presumptions form the basis of American arms policy toward the Middle East, he said. These include the ideas of an "indefinite Israeli strategic edge," in which the Israelis could defeat any number of foes even without American aid.