Iran’s Defeat May Not Be Immediate, but Effective Containment Is at Hand
Learning the right lessons from the collapse of the USSR.
August 20, 2018
Learning the right lessons from the collapse of the USSR.
In the 1980s, the U.S. pursued a policy of economic, military, and political pressure on the Soviet Union that led to—or at least hastened—its collapse while avoiding a head-on military confrontation. Some see reasons to hope that a similar strategy might bring about the collapse of the Islamic Republic. Frederick Kagan, however, argues against excessive optimism. Carefully comparing the current situation of Iran to that of the Gorbachev-era USSR, he suggests instead that victory over Tehran can be effectively achieved even if the regime persists, at least for the time being:
Learning the right lessons from the collapse of the USSR.
The anniversary of a failed experiment.
Arab leaders fear the nation-state law will impede their decades-long effort to erode Israel’s Jewish identity.
Long before demanding Jews’ bodies, anti-Semitic societies demanded Jews’ dignity.
As told by their surnames.
In the 1980s, the U.S. pursued a policy of economic, military, and political pressure on the Soviet Union that led to—or at least hastened—its collapse while avoiding a head-on military confrontation. Some see reasons to hope that a similar strategy might bring about the collapse of the Islamic Republic. Frederick Kagan, however, argues against excessive optimism. Carefully comparing the current situation of Iran to that of the Gorbachev-era USSR, he suggests instead that victory over Tehran can be effectively achieved even if the regime persists, at least for the time being:
Unlock the most serious Jewish, Zionist, and American thinking.
Subscribe Now