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- If you like it, put a ring on it: U.S. can take a page out of Israel's strategy book
If you like it, put a ring on it: U.S. can take a page out of Israel's strategy book
Israel has just proven the yield of its strategy on the regional level, now the U.S. should do the same on the global level
Israel achieved maximal regional deterrence at a minimal cost when it implemented a strategy to focus its efforts on the weakest of its enemies, the Gaza Strip-based Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The United States would benefit from implementing a corresponding strategy on a global level – in coordination with Israel.
In an impressive display of real-time intelligence and operational capabilities, Israel took out the leadership of the Palestinian terror organization in the opening seconds of Operation “Shield and Arrow” earlier this month, and then proceeded to take out their newly appointed successors as fighting ensued. The Israeli military prowess sent a message of deterrence to Iran, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and Gaza’s ruling Hamas, but also a message of potency and resolve to Israel’s friends and allies in the region.
Some of the states in the Middle East have been cozying up to the Iran-China-Russia axis, likely a response to the void vacated by the U.S. and also influenced by the images of internal turmoil in Israel. Threats made by Israeli reservists not to report for duty amid anti-judicial reform protests were interpreted by friends and foes alike as a sign of a pending Israeli implosion.
During the five days of the limited operation, Israel proved that it could deliver a paralyzing blow to the Islamic Jihad while keeping the rest of the Iranian terror proxies at bay and signaling that it possesses the capacity to inflict the same damage on the leadership of Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Iranian Quds Force of its Revolutionary Guards.
About a week before Operation “Shield and Arrow,” I was appalled by the belittling of Israeli strength in an interview with i24NEWS. The various Middle Eastern panel members opined that Israel was at its weakest point, the Israeli military was collapsing, and that the tensions in Israeli society were tearing the country apart.
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They were not alone in their underestimation of Israel, but the operation against the Islamic Jihad swiftly laid those fantasies to rest. The question is whether the U.S. can apply the same approach. Can the U.S. rebuild its global leadership and boost its deterrence by promoting regional alliances and focusing its efforts on the weaker link in the region instead of confronting China head-on in the Pacific?
American leadership is being challenged by China and Russia, who are determined to forge a new world order where the East leads and narrows the influence of the West in general, and that of the U.S. in particular. The West’s doomsday weapon – economic sanctions – is losing its effect as the East adapts and develops ways to circumvent such a tool while sustaining and even enhancing their economic strength.
In a reality where Russia continues its aggression in Ukraine and a Chinese invasion of Taiwan seems closer than ever, the time is right for the U.S. to restore its global power of deterrence. The U.S. also needs to send its allies in the region a message of resolve and commitment, to keep them from having to hedge their national security on alliances with other powers.
It seems as if the U.S. is determined to confront China directly: New U.S. bases are being established in the Philippines and a massive buildup of troops in the region is evident, while the U.S. is simultaneously providing extensive military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine against Russia. As the U.S. is stretched between Europe and Taiwan, the Middle East is slowly but surely falling into Chinese and Russian hands, with the help of Iran.
Washington still has a chance to change the course of events in the region, and it isn’t dependent on the actions of its adversaries. Moreover, the U.S. has a chance to dramatically improve its global standing and national security interests by taking firm action in the Middle East. Like the way Israel operated, the U.S. should start with the weakest of its enemies, which on the global level is the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The way to further such a goal would be by forming a U.S.-led Sunni-Israeli alliance, which would present a viable military threat to Iran and its nuclear arms program. Of paramount importance would be the convincing display by the U.S. to actually use force against Iran, if Tehran refused to stop its nuclear weapons program.
Such a coalition would also potentially generate peace and normalization accords stretching as far as Indonesia, led by Saudi Arabia, in what would be a significant foreign policy milestone for U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration.
On the global stage, a resolute American policy against Iran would also deter China and Russia from challenging the U.S. in other areas of the world, thus preventing future bloodshed and global disruptions. Israel has just proven the yield of its strategy on the regional level, now the U.S. should do the same on the global level.