Iron Dome basically operational in Israel
Tuesday, July 27, 2010 at 12:05AM 
graphic here
Glenn Kessler in WAPO:
This week, Israel successfully conducted a test of a new mobile missile-defense system designed to shield Israeli towns from small rockets launched from the Gaza Strip. When the "Iron Dome" system is fully deployed in the next year, about half the cost -- $205 million -- will be borne by U.S. taxpayers under a plan advanced by the Obama administration and broadly supported in Congress.
While public attention has focused on the fierce diplomatic disputes between Israel and the United States over settlement expansion in Palestinian territories, security and military ties between the two nations have grown ever closer during the Obama administration.
As well it should. You don't ask friends to do difficult things (or accept difficult realities) without incentivizing them.
As always, I like my missile defense close in, covering those whom MAD cannot address except by extension (always mistrusted).
To me, this sort of stuff is exactly how we handle Iran's inevitable achievement of nuclear weapons, which isn't about achieving anything militarily, because nothing can be militarily achieved in this manner. Instead, it's about other subjects, where logically we can and should give Iran just enough rope to hang itself on the question of regime legitimacy--or the popular lack thereof.
In short, you deprive them of the enemy, which is how you Gorbachev their Brezhnevian carcass.
Reader Comments (3)
The trouble with this is that your standard Gaza Qassam costs maybe 40 bucks, an Iron Dome interceptor is several orders of magnitude more expensive.
Want to bankrupt the Israelis? All the jerks need to do is cover Southern Israel with rockets- doesn't matter where they hit or not.
The strategy of lobbing rockets over the border is fear and political leverage.The Gazans have to pay in blood as well to lob rockets and that price will be seen as wasted if Isreal can neutralize them.
The Gaza rocket crews are not going to risk their lives on a long term plan to defeat Israel solely through a policy of being the last man standing with a rocket in his hand.
If the Iron Dome works , the Isrealis will paint themselves into the peace corner , and I think Obama is going to have to accept this as his only feasible goal in his last two years.
I think he just might do it.
Why not to your question that you do not ask friends to do accept difficult realities or difiicult situations without "incentivise."? Israel chose its location and why should the American Taxpayer pay for a country that is a nuclear armed country with the strongest military in the region. And more importantly who love to use it.
As far as I am concerned, we should cut the cord to Israel and then maybe then we can start being good guys again and Israel can grow up.