U.S. "Conflict Model" No Longer Works in Iran

Paper Tiger: the Failure of America’s Trillion Dollar War Machine

A high-level historical assessment shows that the US image of dominance in war has persistently fallen short in practice.

Paper Tiger: The Failure of America’s Trillion-Dollar War Machine

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the United States spent $21 trillion on its military between 2001 and 2024 (in constant 2024 dollars), equal to the combined military spending of the next eighteen countries. Iran barely made that list at all, spending only 2% of what the…

America's greatest strength is becoming its biggest weakness

US rivals are watching the Iran war and adapting strategies so they might better face down the West’s great superpower in a crisis

When Military Power Fails to Become Political Power

Nearly six months into the war with Iran, the conflict appears to be settling into a stalemate. Although the United States has demonstrated overwhelming airpower and has inflicted enormous damage on Iran’s military capabilities and civilian infrastructure, however the central problem for Washington is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore: airpower alone has not been enough to force Tehran to accept the American demands.

U.S. "Conflict Model" No Longer Works in Iran

Given the overwhelming superiority of the American military, Washington could create the appearance of bringing Iran under control. Regardless how the conflict ultimately unfolds, however, the United States is unlikely ever to return to an era in which the Iran issue was manageable at a limited and predictable cost.