FIRST: Even before the new year begins on Thursday, make sure the Anti-Trust Authority’s decision to renege on its agreement with the developers of the Leviathan and Tamar gas fields is reversed again and the original agreement restored, before any more damage is done to Israel’s energy future, regional relations and business reputation. Then gently suggest that the director of the Authority might want to resign in order to spend more time with his family.
SECOND: Elect a stable, solidly centrist government in March.
THIRD: Hire the best public relations minds available to sell Israel’s true story abroad. The amount of resources currently dedicated to public diplomacy is pathetically small. Our enemies are very good at this and have plentiful financing. It is simply not true that because Israel is right on most of the issues in contention the world will understand and support it. The world will understand and support the side that most effectively and repeatedly makes its case.
FOURTH: Continue and strengthen the “pivot” to the Far East and South Asia. China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam and India want Israeli technology in many fields and are prepared to increase trade and investment relations in order to acquire it. It should not be overlooked that none of these countries has a history of anti-semitism, so that movements such as “BDS” would simply gain no traction there.
FIFTH: Actively and aggressively cultivate ties with those countries and ethnic groups in the Middle East which are for various reasons willing and indeed in some cases anxious to pursue such ties. Iraqi Kurdistan could have used Israeli military equipment when faced with a triumphant Islamic State and such assistance would have been remembered. The current Egyptian regime already cooperates fully in the security and intelligence fields and is an ally against Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Israeli agro-technology, medical technology and biotechnology would do wonders to turn a semi-bankrupt but extremely significant country into a long-term partner in creating region-wide prosperity. Other countries, farther away but of symbolic importance, such as Morocco and Tunisia might also be targeted.
SIXTH: Make use of the fact that some very significant countries in the region are terrified of Iran on the one hand and Islamist terrorists on the other. Saudi Arabia may not be an admirable country in some ways, but it is a very significant one and an extremely symbolic one. The UAE has been signaling a desire for closer relations for some time. Follow up.
SEVENTH: Suggest that the Anti-trust Authority might actually want to go after some real monopolistic situations in the Israel. More importantly, pass legislation encouraging various mechanisms for expanding capital ownership in Israeli society, such as cooperatives, employee stock ownership plans and community investment trusts. Wealth (defined as capital assets) is becoming ever-more concentrated in all western countries and Israel is no exception, even if so far the situation is not as bad here as in some other countries because of the Israeli innovation and entrepreneurship culture.
EIGHTH: Stop kowtowing to those who in fact do not wish us well. Israel evacuated south Lebanon and got Hezbollah; Israel evacuated Gaza and got Hamas. (Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is a good definition of insanity.)
NINTH: Be confident and bold. If Israel had attacked the Iranian nuclear facilities two years ago, the Iranian nuclear program would now be years behind and regime change might have taken place. Israel asked for no-one’s permission when it attacked similar facilities in Iraq and Syria and guess what? No-one batted an eyelid.
TENTH: Finally, keep on doing what is being done well. Military technology, civilian technologies and all the innovations that make people feel good about themselves and about the society they live in. Israel is doing wonderful things for mankind, not just for itself. Optimism, dynamism, and yes, happiness, are stronger in Israel than in just about any other country. Stop apologizing and do what is necessary to protect the country and to preserve and enhance Israel as a country well worth protecting and cherishing.
WE ARE TOLD TO BE A LIGHT UNTO THE NATIONS. WE NEED TO BELIEVE IT AND DO IT.
Norman A. Bailey, Ph.D., is Adjunct Professor of Economic Statecraft at The Institute of World Politics, Washington, DC, and teaches at the Center for National Security Studies and Geostrategy, University of Haifa.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on December 31, 2014
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