'Arab Spring' to ISIS: The Mideast 'Misconception'

JERUSALEM, Israel -- It's been almost five years since the so called "Arab Spring" when political freedom protests swept across the Middle East. Many around the world expected democratic reform but saw chaos instead.

Despite the fact that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East, it's been blamed for decades for much of the trouble in the region. Yet, Israel has remained strong over the years while surrounded by enemies and chaos.

CBN's Scott Ross spoke with author and analyst Caroline Glick recently about the trends in Israel and the Middle East today.

Island of Tranquility

"The one island of safety and tranquility and peace is Israel," Glick told Ross. "The only country that's a coherent nation state, an organic nation state in this region is the Jewish state. Every other state you see either collapsing or on the verge of collapse and struggling in order to survive."

Born in Chicago, Glick immigrated to Israel at age 21, joined the Israel Defense Forces, became involved in politics, and at one time advised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on foreign policy.

Ross asked her about the push for Israeli-Palestinian peace.

"There's a misconception that this whole problem -- the pathologies of the Islamic world, the pathologies of the Arab world -- that we're seeing now exploding in our faces throughout these areas, is somehow or another a function of the absence of a Palestinian state in the land of Israel," Glick said.

Watch more from Caroline Glick below.

But Glick said that's not true. U.S. administrations have tried for decades to resolve the conflict by trying to force Israel to give up its biblical homeland in order to create a Palestinian state.

"If you lay the blame for the absence of peace and stability in the Middle East on the Jewish state, then you have a way out," she said. "You don't have to confront any of the real difficulties that are inherent to the failed systems of governments that the Arabs have adopted for themselves over the past 100 years."

Glick said the real problem is that Israel's neighbors never accepted its existence.

Big Picture

So what's the big picture or grand theme in the Middle East these days?

"The unraveling of the state system that was instituted here at the end of World War I by the British and the French," she said.

Following World War I, the League of Nations carved up the Turkish Ottoman empire. Over the years, those states gained independence but were mostly ruled by kings or dictators.

"You see that all of these dynastic orders that were established by them to encompass states are being stressed, if not breaking [up]," Glick said. "The whole concept of a balance of power between the Sunnis and the Shiites, all of this is going out the window."

Glick said the recent disintegration of regional regimes has led to power vacuums that are being filled by radical Islam.

"You have spoilers coming in and taking advantage of the power vacuum, whether it's ISIS on the Sunni side or it's the Iranians on the Shiite side with Hezbollah as their strike force," she said.

Ross asked Glick if all the "infighting" between Arabs and Muslims in the Middle East would be advantageous to Israel (because it would keep them busy with themselves). But she said it has disadvantages.

"Israel has to be much more wary. We have to be much more vigilant in protecting our borders and we have to be much more vigilant in integrating our own Arab minority into our society," Glick explained.

She said first of all it's "the right thing to do" but also that there are "massive attempts by ISIS and other terrorist organizations, as well as the Iranian regime, to infiltrate and penetrate Israel's Arab population as well as the Palestinians for the purpose of them fomenting wars against us from inside."

Iran Threat Bigger than ISIS

With all the talk of the savagery of ISIS, Glick explained that Iran is more dangerous.

"ISIS is far less dangerous than Iran because they're so brutal and they're so monstrous that they have far less ability to maintain themselves over time," she said. "On the other hand, Iran is a regime that has managed to survive the test of time since the revolution in 1979."

And now, some 35 years later, Iran has advanced weapons systems, is trying to go nuclear and is using regional chaos to expand its empire, she added.

To make matters worse, U.S.-Israel relations are on rocky ground.

"The Obama administration is changing sides essentially, unfortunately, by siding with Iran against Israel against the Sunnis in the region. He has this idea, I assume, that he can re-jigger the balance of power by removing the United States as the main influence or controller of this region."

"[But] that isn't true. There is no balance of power," she said. "What there is is a nuclear arms race now ensuing because of America's nuclear policy towards Iran."

Hope for the Future

Despite the seeming Middle East meltdown, Glick says she has hope for the future because she believes in God and has faith in the God of Israel and the people of Israel.

She described Christian support of Israel as "critical" because the Bible is one of the sources of "strategic wisdom." She told Ross she believes prayer is important.

"I find myself praying even when I'm not thinking about it so I hope I'm not wasting all that energy," she said. "But I'm fairly certain that I'm not. No, I think that prayer is extremely important."