“We don’t have a proper national debate about strategy.” — The complaint seems universal. I’ve heard it in America, in Britain, in France, in Germany, and elsewhere. But here in Israel that complaint is even louder. The IDF is known for its “bitsuist” culture, preferring doing over thinking. And Israeli academia, leaning far to the left — so the cliché — shuns all things military like the devil runs from the holy water. Except, it’s not true. An impressive number of current and former officers write about strategy, academics too. In Hebrew as well as in English. And some are really impressive. Of course they have no shortage of questions to ponder.
One of the most difficult questions facing the State of Israel today is Iran. Should the IAF strike Iran’s nuclear program or not?
Now, many people outside Israel have very strong opinions about this question. So let’s start with some humility: Iran has not repeatedly threatened to wipe New York off the map. Iran is not delivering advanced weaponry to terrorist organizations a few miles way from London. And Teheran is not training infiltrators to sneak into Paris to kidnap soldiers there. Israel has far higher stakes in this game than the rest of us. So what do the country’s most careful strategic thinkers say?
By: Brant
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1 comment:
The most compelling argument is that since they did it once, they'll do it again.
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