“Assyria will not save us, we will not ride on (Egyptian) horses.”

-Hosea 14:4

There is a lesson to be learned from this, one that is hardly new nor very complex. It is indeed a lesson in realpolitick that is universal but much more so to the Jew.

Nations pursue foreign policies that are based not upon love, admiration or respect for the particular political, social or economic structure of a fellow state. They do not plan their relationships on the basis of pity for a small state or sympathy for its plight. Self-interest is the key to policy decisions and, regardless of the ideology of the government; there is only one question that is asked when a decision must be made as to relationships:

“Is it good for us?”