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War is indeed the answer - if the question is how to resolve a conflict between nations or peoples. And if the war results in one side recognizing that they have lost.
One of Israel's biggest historical failures has been that it tries very hard to not hurt Arab feelings. And so Arabs reckon they have not, in fact, lost - and they keep fighting. The Arab refugee problem of 1948 would have been solved quite quickly had the Jews ensured that the Arabs accepted defeat.
The "reality" of what happened in the war between Israel and Iran is not as important as what the nations think happened. And thus far, it does not look good. Iran is spinning it as a huge victory. And if they do not admit defeat (at least to themselves), then we are in for another "rinse and repeat" cycle.
On the other hand, there are rumors of major changes within the ruling hierarchy. I am not talking of sudden onset democracy or a groundswell of rebellion. But if a new set of rulers emerges in the coming weeks, rulers who know that Iran got thoroughly spanked by a country a very small fraction of its size, then the war might turn out to yield long-term results for peace in the region.
One can hope!
Discussion (63)
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Correct. Wars are seldom won on the battlefield. They are won in the hearts and minds of the people.
We did not lose the Vietnam War. We were winning. Then we gave up and went home. Then we stopped funding the South Vietnamese, further betraying those foolish enough to depend on fickle America.
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Other countries are getting it:
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"War Is Not The Answer" bumperstickers should always be met with "it depends on what the question is."
Sample questions:
Who should control the destiny and character of Europe?
Who gets to dominate the peoples and resources of the Pacific Rim?
Can the Southern states break away and form a new nation founded in the enslavement of black people?
Will Afghanistan ever accept military defeat? Will Afghanistan ever consent to be part of the civilized world?
Does the United States have the stomach and stamina to save South Vietnam from North Vietnam (backed by the USSR)?
Does the United States (and its Coalition Partners) have the stomach and stamina to make Iraq into a hot and sandy version of New Hampshire?
Does Israel have the right to exist?
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Wars are won only by the total obliteration of the loser's will to fight and that has not happened in Iran today. The mullahs remain defiant. Israel needed to continue to kill Iranian higher-ups until there was no one left to surrender. The US should have sent submarine missiles to all of the Iranian nuclear sites.
We need to finish the job now, otherwise we will be back here in 10-15 years, under a POTUS who is not named Trump.
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Well, in 10 years the POTUS could be named Vance.
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