Middle East Reviews

LT Youssef H. Aboul-Enein, USNR

Flight of the Lavi, by Dov S. Zakheim

Reviewed by Major Ed Barrett

This is the story of the Lavi, Hebrew for "Lion": The story of the greatest fighter aircraft never made. This first person account by DoD apparachik Dr. Dov Zakheim reveals all that is wrong with America's relationship with Israel. The Lavi, a continuation of the Kfir in the eyes of Israel, was supposed to be a god-send in two areas: first, it was to ensure Israeli air-superiority over its neighbors as the best fighter aircraft in the world; second, it was supposed to create an Israeli aeronautics industry from nothing and, in so doing, enhance the nation's balance of payments by earning foreign exchange from aircraft sales. These might sound like good reasons until you realize that the entire bill, both money and technology, was to be paid by the U.S. taxpayer. Moshe Arens, the main proponent in the Cabinet, and former head of Israeli Aircraft Industries (the primary beneficiary of the project) was presumptuous enough to believe that the U.S. would allow exports of sensitive U.S. technology to be used throughout the system. Arens even expressed the belief that the U.S. would support export licenses to countries with which the U.S. had no official trade due to embargo or other negative political action. It is the viciousness with which some Israeli officials conducted themselves in dealings with the U.S. Government that makes the book so interesting; there is much biting of the hand that feeds in this story.

And that is the real story. Congress approved over $500 million per year for the Israelis to build this aircraft on a "swag" estimate prepared in large part by American lobbyists for Israel rather than aeronautics engineers or government accountants. Once it became obvious that the Lavi would likely never fly, its die-hard proponents became venomous. The oddity of this story is that is it told by an American Orthodox Jew, a trained rabbi in fact, who saw the folly of the endeavor and advised the U.S. and Israeli governments to rethink their options. Zakheim, seen by some as a self-hating American Jew with a vendetta against his cultural homeland, was vilified not only in Israel but in Jewish neighborhoods in the States; his family was often pulled into the fray as well. One of the most interesting parts of the book is a discussion of the Jonathon Pollard spy case, which occurred almost concurrently with the Lavi debate. The Israeli expectation of dual loyalties of American Jews is discussed matter-of-factly, but the end result for Zakheim was a major daily Tel Aviv newspaper article comparing him unfavorably to Pollard.

Dr. Zakheim often uses the term "chutzpah" to describe the attitudes of the people with whom he dealt. He was repeatedly confronted with foot-dragging (read "stone- walling") over costs estimates with obviously bogus numbers, the use of pro-Israeli American groups to exert political pressure, and finally a series of acrimonious personal attacks designed to destroy his credibility. A good illustration comes in a discussion Zakheim had with Menachem Eini, the Ministry of Defense Program Manager. After Congressional and State Department pushes to get contracts paid (which SecDef Weinberger had been delaying while further support of the Lavi was debated), Eini, thinking he had the upper hand, stated that all contracts, even those not scheduled to be paid until well into the future, should be paid immediately. When Zakheim rhetorically asked him if he wanted a blank check, Eini responded, "Why not?!" Zakheim's reaction: "I had never encountered such chutzpah before...whether he realized it or not, Eini was reflecting everything that was wrong with the American-Israeli relationship."

This book is entertaining and the stories of his personal interaction with major players in both governments is priceless, especially those with the late Yitzchak Rabin, to whom, along with his parents, Dr. Zakheim dedicated the book. Zakheim describes a Rabin who was at once a strong proponent of the Lavi for its presumed effects on Israel's economy and defense, a consummate politician who never showed his cards before it was time, and a fair man who very thoroughly understood the dynamics of the bilateral relationship.

I recommend the book unreservedly for Middle East/North Africa FAOs, MI Officers, and anyone else involved with the affairs of the region.

Submitted by: Major David F. DiMeo (48G), USCENTCOM Forward, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Politico-Military Officer.

Gary G. Sick and Lawrence G. Potter, editors, The Persian Gulf at the Millennium: Essays in Politics, Economy, Security, and Religion. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997. 356 pages.

This timely and illuminating book takes a view of the Gulf rarely seen in the media. Its focus is not on the well-reported struggle against Saddam, but rather on the lingering economic and social problems that could produce conflict in the near future. As to be expected in a collection of essays from different authors, some chapters are more useful than others.

The strongest section of the book deals with the coming economic crisis in the Gulf monarchies. The 1970s oil boom set in place several negative trends. The first is the paradox of importing up to 90% of the labor force from Third World countries while local citizens suffer high unemployment rates. The education, social welfare and subsidy systems in the Gulf monarchies make it very difficult to replace the foreign labor with local citizens. Extremely high birth rates further exacerbate this problem. This particular challenge receives excellent treatment from Gary Sick, Karim Pakravan and F. Gregory Cause. These chapters alone make the book worth reading.

Equally impressive is Paul Stevens' chapter on the oil market, the effects of the current low oil prices, and options for the future. Dr. Stevens does a fine job of explaining the different interests and strategies of oil producing Gulf nations, reminding us that they are not often in agreement. An essay by Karim Pakravan on economic privatization further reveals that there are no quick and easy solutions to the economic challenges in the region. This section effectively debunks the idea that the Gulf states are rolling in wealth and immune to economic problems.

Other topics are not discussed in sufficient detail or consistency. Several seen to be thrown in because they were available, without contributing to the main focus of the book. There is an excellent essay on the unrest in Bahrain by Munira Fakhro, but no other similar study, Bahrain is, after all, a country of only 600,000 people. Similarly, Anthony Cordesman makes a very detailed study of Iran's military capabilities, but we are given no other information to make a comparison. Frank E. Vogel's essay on Islamism is merely another "grand theory" of political Islam. Roy Mottahedeh provides a very interesting look into Iran's clerical leadership even if it is somewhat detached from the main focus of the book.

In short, this book is worthwhile for any student of the Middle East. It offers many surprising facts and insights, and looks beyond the current hot topics of Saddam, sanctions and no-fly zones. William Maley, editor, Fundamentalism Reborn? Afghanistan and the Taliban. New York: New York University Press, 1998. 253 pages.

For those who want one good, comprehensive book on the Taliban in Afghanistan, this one is a good choice. Well-written, concise, fairly current and challenging and insightful in its analysis, this is a good overview for those who devote most of their time to other countries in the region. The contributors include leading scholars like Olivier Roy and William Maley, as well as journalists, UN and NGO officials. They come with different, often divergent viewpoints.

The book begins with the failure of the Rabbani government (1992-96), charts the origins and subsequent rise of the Taliban movement, its setbacks and the shattered condition of the country today. It does a fine job of identifying the key players in the struggle for Afghanistan: Ahmad Shah Massoud, Defense Minister of the fallen government and now the leader of the opposition against the Taliban; Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the Mujihadeen leader who received most of the U.S. assistance during the Afghan War in the 1980s, but who effectively scuttled the peace after the Soviet withdrawal; and Abdul Rashid Dostum, who switched sides. The mysterious leader of the Taliban, one-eyed Mullah Omar, however, remains a mystery. For clarifying who's who and who supports whom, this book is worthwhile.

The book addresses questions like: Did the Taliban bring order to a chaotic environment, or did they only terrorize the people into submission? The answer seems to lie somewhere between the two extremes. It also addresses tough issues, like the role of the United States, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in creating the Taliban. Pakistan's complicity in the rise and domination of the Taliban seems almost total. There is also the thorny matter of US and Saudi oil companies' influence in the struggle in Afghanistan, as well as the very dramatic change in the official U.S. view of the Taliban. The authors address Iranian, Russian, Central Asian and Indian policy as well, showing how many foreign influences are at work in this struggle. They also provide a serious analysis of the claim that this is essentially an ethnic conflict (Pushtun versus Tajik and Hazari).

The book is well balanced -- there are no clear "good guys" in this struggle. Unfortunately it provides little historical background; the editor assumes we all know the history up to the Rabbani government of 1992. A chapter on the background of the Communist government, Soviet invasion, and Mujahideen war would be helpful. The essays are well written and practical, with the exception of the final chapter by Anthropologist M. Nazif Shahrani, which is out of touch with the rest of the book. Nevertheless, if you are interested in Afghanistan and have time for only one book, I recommend this one.

1999, Foreign Area Officer Association
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