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Stoll writes: "In December of 2003, U.S. forces in Iraq captured Saddam Hussein. At the time it seemed like a landmark victory, and in some ways it was, but in the years since Iraq has seen a resurgence of terrorist groups. … In 2016, U.S. forces killed the leader of the Taliban …. That seemed like a big win, too, but in 2021 Afghanistan fell to Taliban control with a chaotic and deadly American retreat from Kabul."

I detect a pattern here.

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Well, yes, but that pattern has NOT been repeated in this case. The dispatching of Nasrallah was not an isolated assassination. It came at the tail end of a series of actions that has disrupted Hezbollah's entire chain of authority (which is likely why he was down there with other top guys meeting in person as he had to). It has been accompanied also by massive air attacks that are degrading Hezbollah's missile arsenal in a major way, followed now by a ground incursion that hopefully can diminish the armed threat to a very great degree, ending it or rendering it easily manageable. Ira Stoll's other very good suggestions are possible now because of the stupendous military achievement so far. For the first time since October 7, it is possible to envision Israel doing exactly what Kushner said, "to finish the job." Pray.

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I don't disagree, Jonathan. My point is not that the US and its allies suffer setbacks on a regular basis, or that Israel can't defend itself and (this time) finish the job. It was that when a particular party takes control of US foreign policy, the US loses the will to support its allies and instead relies on appeasement of its enemies.

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