(Ha'aretz) Steven Klein - Talking up Israel's readiness for a military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities reflects a classic defensive strategy of crisis management in response to Iran's challenge to the nuclear status quo. Military preparations and diplomatic declarations signal Israel's resolve to stop Iran from going nuclear. The Iranians don't know how far Israel is willing to go, and it makes them sweat. The Iranians have yet to make good on their own threats after Israeli strikes on Iranian targets and Iranian proxies. Israel's history of daring operations far from home makes Tehran nervous. If Israel were to give up the military option, it would be inviting Iran to proceed without caution. Israel is providing the military threat to make Iran think twice about walking away from the JCPOA. The writer, an editor at Ha'aretz, is adjunct instructor at Tel Aviv University's International Program in Conflict Resolution and Mediation.
2021-12-09 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive