Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
'There is no military solution to the conflict between Israel and Iran'
Excerpt from
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/06/18/us-attacks-iran-expert-predictions-analysis-00413901
Robin Wright is a foreign affairs analyst who has written multiple books on the Middle East, including Rock the Casbah: Rage and Rebellion Across the Islamic World.
Ultimately, there is no military solution to the conflict between Israel and Iran. Every conflict needs to include some kind of diplomacy to address the original flashpoints for an enduring outcome that prevents new hostilities. Whether or not the U.S. engages militarily, Washington is the only party capable of brokering a deal that defuses a conflict between Israel and Iran, two countries that have conducted a shadow war for decades now playing out in stunning missile barrages. So the U.S. is now a player, whether militarily or diplomatically.
One haunting danger is that neither the U.S. nor Israel has specifically detailed what their longer-term intentions are on Iran — what the end game is after the shooting stops. Trump has called for “unconditional surrender.” Does that mean a total surrender of a nuclear program and ballistic missiles too? Or is Trump talking about some form of political surrender? On the day he launched airstrikes on Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an appeal to the Iranian public. He said Israel had cleared the path for Iranians to rise up against theocratic rule in Tehran. “Regime change” was implicit. The two men have reportedly discussed whether to kill Khamenei, who has been in power since 1989. Trump said he was opposed — for now — even though he noted Wednesday afternoon that the theocracy could indeed fall as a result of the current war.
Iran will come out significantly weaker from this war, no doubt. But it is more than twice the size of Texas — in contrast to Gaza, which is the size of greater Philadelphia. Israel is still at war there after 20 months of warfare. Iran is also twice the size of Afghanistan, where the U.S. fought its longest war. And it is three times the size of Iraq, where the U.S. fought an eight-year war which, as an unintended consequence, spawned ISIS, an extremist movement that forced the U.S. to reengage in Iraq. Troops are still there. There are so many recent precedents — and lessons — that should be heeded in navigating what Washington does in the hours, days and weeks ahead.
Ultimately, there is no military solution to the conflict between Israel and Iran. Every conflict needs to include some kind of diplomacy to address the original flashpoints for an enduring outcome that prevents new hostilities. Whether or not the U.S. engages militarily, Washington is the only party capable of brokering a deal that defuses a conflict between Israel and Iran, two countries that have conducted a shadow war for decades now playing out in stunning missile barrages. So the U.S. is now a player, whether militarily or diplomatically.
One haunting danger is that neither the U.S. nor Israel has specifically detailed what their longer-term intentions are on Iran — what the end game is after the shooting stops. Trump has called for “unconditional surrender.” Does that mean a total surrender of a nuclear program and ballistic missiles too? Or is Trump talking about some form of political surrender? On the day he launched airstrikes on Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an appeal to the Iranian public. He said Israel had cleared the path for Iranians to rise up against theocratic rule in Tehran. “Regime change” was implicit. The two men have reportedly discussed whether to kill Khamenei, who has been in power since 1989. Trump said he was opposed — for now — even though he noted Wednesday afternoon that the theocracy could indeed fall as a result of the current war.
Iran will come out significantly weaker from this war, no doubt. But it is more than twice the size of Texas — in contrast to Gaza, which is the size of greater Philadelphia. Israel is still at war there after 20 months of warfare. Iran is also twice the size of Afghanistan, where the U.S. fought its longest war. And it is three times the size of Iraq, where the U.S. fought an eight-year war which, as an unintended consequence, spawned ISIS, an extremist movement that forced the U.S. to reengage in Iraq. Troops are still there. There are so many recent precedents — and lessons — that should be heeded in navigating what Washington does in the hours, days and weeks ahead.
3 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
