Words of War

24/7 commentary can undermine good judgment by keeping leaders focused on constant narratives rather than evidence, alternatives, and opposing views. Today’s environment includes ubiquitous commentary that normalizes repeated simplifying words. In war, realities are often complex, yet people assume key facts without scrutiny. The term “war” is treated as if it began on a specific date and with specific leaders, ignoring deeper origins. A major strategic error is failing to know when a conflict began or who started it. The Iran conflict is framed as part of a long-running struggle dating to the Islamic Republic’s inception, with decades of American casualties and Iranian leadership statements indicating an enduring belief in war with the United States and Israel.

"Decades ago, it was a truism that the 24/7 news cycle exercised a malign influence on policy making. It kept senior leaders fixated on a flickering television screen when their time would have been better spent weighing evidence, debating alternatives, and considering opposing views. All true. But today we contend with 24/7 commentary, which is so ubiquitous that we barely notice it, even as it causes a kind of dry rot of our good judgment."

"The 24/7 commentary treadmill means that certain simplifying words get used over and over. But in war, above all things, realities are almost invariably complex. Take the very word war. Advocates and critics of the Iran conflict assume, without question, that this is a war that began on February 28, and that it was launched by President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu."

"Eliot A. Cohen: Send the frigates That is arguably the biggest strategic mistake of all: not knowing when the war you are in began, or even who started it. The past few months of bombing, blockading, and missile and drone strikes are but the latest campaign in a war that began at the inception of the Islamic Republic. American service personnel have died for nearly five decades at the hands of Iranian mines, IEDs, and missiles."

"The speeches of Iran's leaders leave little doubt that they believe that they have always been at war with the United States and Israel. Their unprovoked missile attacks on Israel and acts of terrorism in the past few years alone-including the attempted assassination of Trump during the Biden administration-s"

Read at The Atlantic