|
Trending Topics
|
Iran Is Much Weaker than the Last Time It Faced Donald Trump
(Bloomberg) Hal Brands - In his second term as president, Donald Trump will encounter a region in which Israeli military successes have dramatically reset the balance of power. That creates the possibility for a bold play to roll back Iran's influence and curb its nuclear program. While a year ago, Israel looked shockingly vulnerable and Iran and its proxies seemed ascendant, today, Israel has wrecked most of Hamas's military capability in Gaza. In Lebanon, Hizbullah can still fire rockets, but its leadership and long-range capabilities have been ravaged by Israeli assaults. Iran's proxies are battered, its air defenses shredded, and its missile arsenal devalued. President Joe Biden deserves some credit here. Yes, Biden has often urged caution on Israel. Still, Biden has given Israel the arms, the diplomatic assistance and the time necessary to take the offensive. The writer is Professor of Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.