When we look back on the 1980s, a decade characterized by renewed Western strength and prosperity after the malaise of the 1970s, many of us think of three towering figures: Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Pope John Paul II. These three people were committed to individual liberty, both political and spiritual, and they provided the economic, military, and moral impetus for that amazing decade, a decade that ended with the collapse of the once formidable—indeed, seemingly unbeatable—Soviet Union.
When I look at the world today, I’m beginning to wonder whether, in place of the Trio of Titans in the 1980s, the third decade of the 21st century will bring us the Dynamic Duo of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu. Working in tandem in the last few months, these months have brought about the military downfall of Iran and its proxy armies (Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis), even as we’re witnessing the resurgence of the Abraham Accords, which will bring Israel into the fold of its Arab-Muslim Middle Eastern neighbors.
Since the October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel, the Israel Defense Forces, under Benjamin Netanyahu, have relentlessly been destroying the Iranian proxies surrounding Israel on all sides. They’ve done so through traditional warfare, especially in Gaza, where the Hamas militants have embedded themselves amongst supportive civilians, and through innovative tactics, such as using pagers to geld most Hezbollah members.
In Iran, Israel used sophisticated technology and on-the-ground information to destroy most of Iran’s military infrastructure, both men and materials, without any significant civilian casualties in Iran and without the loss of a single Israeli soldier. (This contrasts with the Gaza campaign, which has led to many Israeli military deaths, each of which represents a disproportionate loss in a tiny country.) Israel’s military actions laid the groundwork for America’s strike on Iran’s nuclear installations, including effectively imploding Fordow.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member