Where the Bias Lies
It turns out JINSA is one of the very few organizations to go on record with our concerns about Charles "Chas" Freeman, the President's pick for the non-confirmable position of Director of the National Intelligence Agency. It has produced an interesting reaction.
One Jewish professional had no problem with Mr. Freeman sitting on the board of a Chinese oil company doing business in Iran, or Saudi Arabia's sponsorship of Mr. Freeman's non-profit organization, the Middle East Policy Council. His view, to paraphrase, was, "We don't complain when someone is pro-Israel. We expect Jewish government officials to be 'neutral' when it matters. Why should we complain when someone is pro-Saudi, and why shouldn't we expect him be 'neutral' in his work as well?"
First, the mixed metaphor. Mr. Freeman is not Saudi - or Chinese. Institutions in those countries pay him and the comparison to American Jews working for the American government is odious.
But skip that, for the moment. We, at least, don't want neutrality on all issues from any of our government employees. We want a bias toward democratic, free-market countries with multiple centers of power including an independent legislature, unions and journalists, and respect for civil and religious liberties, minorities rights and the rule of law. We want a bias in our government toward the government of Costa Rica and away from that of Venezuela. Toward Italy and away from Zimbabwe. Toward Great Britain and away from Myanmar. Toward Taiwan and away from Sudan. Away from the Palestinian government - either of them.
Toward Israel.
Saudi Arabia and China are important countries with which the United States should have good relations. Saudi Arabia, in particular, has been operating on the Western side of the "great divide" of countries of late. We believe it is because Saudi Arabia, like Israel, has understood that Iran - not Israel - is the primary threat to stability in the region. China has, in the main, been obstructionist on both Iran and on Sudan.
Neither country qualifies as an ally based on shared values. Neither should receive a presumption of friendship or allied status. Neither is entitled to "bias toward."
In no way does bias toward a country - France or Mali, Liberia or Argentina, Turkey or Israel - mean that everything its government does is right, or that the United States should do everything they want us to do. American interests are always determinative; we can and, no doubt, will argue with all of them - as friends.
Mr. Freeman's position is non-confirmable, but there has been congressional interest in vetting and better understanding his financial relations with Saudi Arabia and China. We are more interested in where his biases lie. We hope they lie with America's fundamental interest in protecting our security and protecting our democratic friends and allies, including Israel, while maintaining relations with Saudi Arabia and China - and others - that serve that bottom line.
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