politics
Beating Iran means dismantling Hezbollah
As military pressure on the Iranian regime waxes and wanes, we have yet to arrive at an achievable end state for the conflict — one that focuses not on the world as it is today but on the world as it will be in the 2030s and beyond.
TL;DR
- The conflict with Iran needs a long-term end state, not just addressing the present.
- Iran is positioned as the central terrorist node of a global anti-American axis with China and Russia.
- Focusing on this aspect can improve coordination with regional partners to shut down proxies like the Houthis and Hamas.
- This approach can also build regional confidence in confronting Iran over the Strait of Hormuz.
- Hezbollah is identified as the core of Iran's global and regional terrorist infrastructure.
- Since the 1980s, Hezbollah has been central to coordinating international terrorist networks from Latin America to Eastern Europe.
- Hezbollah has destabilized Lebanon and attacked governments, tourists, and Jews globally.
- Its reach extends into narco-terrorist syndicates and Mexican drug cartels.