Is the difference between Desert Storm and Iran, and other examples where the plan is to win by air power alone, that the US was committed to following with ground troops? And therefore it is those countries that haven’t made that determination in advance that are most vulnerable to the Escalation trap?
Trump (and/or his military advisors) know that holding down the number of military casualties in the war with Iran is vital to maintaining the current popular indifference to the war and its costs. Inserting US ground troops means more body bags coming home to Dover AFB, and a sudden popular interest in and perhaps opposition to, Trump's Folly.
"The emerging lesson of the Iran War may be very different."
Yes, but isn't that the product of the very specific and contingent circumstances that Iran finds itself, namely that it is in a position to throttle a maritime chokepoint that is of almost existential importance to the functioning of the global econony? Very few adversaries will be lucky enough to benefit from equivalent circumstances. So can we really extrapolate from this case to derive generally applicable principles?
Is the difference between Desert Storm and Iran, and other examples where the plan is to win by air power alone, that the US was committed to following with ground troops? And therefore it is those countries that haven’t made that determination in advance that are most vulnerable to the Escalation trap?
Trump (and/or his military advisors) know that holding down the number of military casualties in the war with Iran is vital to maintaining the current popular indifference to the war and its costs. Inserting US ground troops means more body bags coming home to Dover AFB, and a sudden popular interest in and perhaps opposition to, Trump's Folly.
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"The emerging lesson of the Iran War may be very different."
Yes, but isn't that the product of the very specific and contingent circumstances that Iran finds itself, namely that it is in a position to throttle a maritime chokepoint that is of almost existential importance to the functioning of the global econony? Very few adversaries will be lucky enough to benefit from equivalent circumstances. So can we really extrapolate from this case to derive generally applicable principles?