Among the contemporary issues Doran discusses are the numerous attacks by Iranian proxies on U.S. forces in Iraq since 2021—and the feeble American response. More of these incidents have occurred since his talk last week. In fact, there have been thirteen drone and missile attacks since October 7, injuring 24 U.S. servicemen. Noah Rothman, analyzing recent statements from the Pentagon, concludes that
the attacks will continue unless and until the president summons the courage to react to them. . . . [T]he conditions the U.S. is confronting in the Middle East are similar to those that prevailed in 2019. Deterrence was not restored until Iranian assets were directly targeted in an American retaliatory response. There’s a lesson there for the Biden administration. For now, however, the White House appears paralyzed by its fear that responding to attacks on U.S. forces risks sparking a wider regional conflict—the existence of an already ongoing wider regional conflict notwithstanding.
In the interim, America’s uniformed service personnel are apparently expected to serve as stationary targets that Iran’s terrorist networks can harass at their leisure.
More about: Iran, Iraq, U.S. Foreign policy