Writing in Haaretz Leon Hadar warns that many foreign leaders have addressed the US Congress - Bibi Netanyahu being of the latest recently - to thunderous applause to only see themselves toppled or their countries losing American support. In fact there are a number of questionable leaders who have spoken from the rostrum in the American Congress. Hadar provides a sober assessment in "Netanyahu's success in Congress may come with a price".
"While Israelis should be proud that Netanyahu, like Winston Churchill, was invited to address Congress, they should recall that the list of more than 110 foreign leaders and dignitaries who have delivered speeches before joint meetings of Congress included, in addition to Diem, the Shah of Iran, President Ferdinand E. Marcos of the Philippines, and military dictators like President Syngman Rhee of South Korea and President Sukarno of Indonesia. These leaders were also welcomed to Washington as staunch allies, only to be dumped by the Americans later on when their interests changed.
Many of the invitations to foreign leaders to address Congress were seen at the time as expressions of gratitude for promoting policies that seemed to be in line with U.S. interests and values. But the Bibi Spectacle on Capitol Hill was engineered by the Republican leaders as part of an apparent political strategy aimed at embarrassing President Obama and weakening his hands as he tries to revive the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and prepares for the 2012 re-election campaign."
"While Israelis should be proud that Netanyahu, like Winston Churchill, was invited to address Congress, they should recall that the list of more than 110 foreign leaders and dignitaries who have delivered speeches before joint meetings of Congress included, in addition to Diem, the Shah of Iran, President Ferdinand E. Marcos of the Philippines, and military dictators like President Syngman Rhee of South Korea and President Sukarno of Indonesia. These leaders were also welcomed to Washington as staunch allies, only to be dumped by the Americans later on when their interests changed.
Many of the invitations to foreign leaders to address Congress were seen at the time as expressions of gratitude for promoting policies that seemed to be in line with U.S. interests and values. But the Bibi Spectacle on Capitol Hill was engineered by the Republican leaders as part of an apparent political strategy aimed at embarrassing President Obama and weakening his hands as he tries to revive the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and prepares for the 2012 re-election campaign."
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