02-07-2025
Iran Strike Was a Triumph That Showed American Weakness
It's useful to be reminded, occasionally, that there's only one superpower. Operation Midnight Hammer, the globe-spanning strike against Iran's nuclear program, was a demonstration of power projection that America's rivals can only envy. Unfortunately, the operation is also testament to how badly US military power is being strained, and how unserious the nation's debate on defense strategy has become.
That debate has featured, in recent years, two warring camps. In the first are those who warn that the threat of war with China is rising and that interventions elsewhere make it harder to prepare for that fight. In the second are those who argue that the US has vital stakes outside the western Pacific and that a global power can't simply quit crucial regions such as the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Oddly, recent events show that both groups have a point.
