"The United States is no longer a young country," Michael Oren, former Israel ambassador to the U.S., Member of Knesset and Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister office, says to Yated Ne'eman.
"Upon its 250th anniversary, it is older than most countries in the United Nations. And yet, it is still in the form of an experiment, the first democratic experiment of modern times since the historic model of Athens in ancient times.
"Today, it is a challenging experiment on all fronts. Today we see a world power torn by internal and external views, between isolationism and involvement in the world. This is also the conflict between secular and Christian values, as J. D. Vance, Vice President, expressed his viewpoint this week, stating that the problem with America is that it is not sufficiently Christian.
"We see a total political polarization between Right and Left, and extremism on both sides. Even within the Democratic Party, the Progressive split is socialistic, and not only anti-Israel, but even anti-American.
"These deep splits are also fed by gaps between economic strata, between the wealthy and the working class, and yet there is reason for optimism: the majority of the American public is still proud of its Americanism. It is a fact that people from all over the world are still trying to enter the country, not only because they have it bad at home but because the American dream is still alive and obtainable. The present struggle is one of values."
How does the reality in the U.S. reflect on Israel and how are we supposed to deal with the changes?
"The first and most pressing conclusion is that Israel should not rely upon only one ally. Israel has learned this the hard way; it should strengthen ties with other countries, especially in the area of arm supplies and rely less on red-white-and-blue production.
"On the geopolitical plane, Israel must diversify its 'investment portfolio.' This means that it must advance relations with developing nations and world powers such as India, with a population four times the size of America. Israel has alternatives and friends.
"In addition, the U.S. must continue to be its biggest and most important ally, and this has no substitute. The goal is to remain close but less dependent upon it."
When we examine the American policy in Iran, we realize that it yielded for the sake of the oil supply. How can it be that a society which is all for life, prefers business rather than survival security?
"The bottom line here is very clear: the American public is unwilling to pay the cost of another war. It has not been convinced that this war is justified and at the present, the skyrocketing of the price of fuel has a direct effect upon its pocket and this is what talks to them. When the public opinion is not prepared to suffer the economic consequences of military involvement, the significant area of possibilities shrinks considerably.
In a historic view of American presidents of the past, which president would you consider as the model of leadership?
"Abraham Lincoln, undoubtedly. He united America after a civil war, which was hardest and bloodiest in its history. The toll of American lives was greater than all other wars combined, more than the Vietnam war, the war of Independence against the British, or the Germans and Russians together. Even though the South hated Lincoln, nevertheless he succeeded in preserving the unity of the American nation, while also freeing the slaves.
"Besides this, Lincoln was also very pro-Jewish, predating many other great later presidents who supported Jews. In 1863, in the very midst of the war, his general, Ulysses S. Grant, issued a Draconian anti-Semitic order to banish Jews from certain areas. Lincoln intervened and nullified those orders immediately. Incidentally, he was also the first to introduce army chaplains into the U.S. army.
"And another interesting fact: During this period, as part of the Restoration program which existed 200 years before, Lincoln declared that as soon as he put an end to the Civil War and mend the splits in America, he would assist Jews to return and reestablish a state in the Land of Israel. That is what Lincoln, President of America, said, dozens of years before the Zionist movement even existed."
