Prof. John Mearsheimer (@MearsheimerJ) warns that Washington’s current U.S. strategy against Tehran is wrecklessly flawed:
Military Shift: The “balance of military coercion has shifted so decisively in favor of the Iranians” that Washington has abandoned direct military force for total economic isolation.
Flawed Pressure: Expanding sanctions to cut off China, Russia, Turkey, and the EU is an impossible task, as “there is not a single case that I know of in recent history where an economic blockade of the sort that we’re proposing actually caused the country to surrender.”
The Pearl Harbor Parallel: Cornering Tehran risks severe escalation, as “when you put tremendous pressure on a country with an economic blockade and you start to bring it to its knees, usually what happens is that it lashes out.”
Historical Warning: Mearsheimer points out “this is exactly what happened in 1941” prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, when severe energy and economic sanctions on Japan placed them in an exisential danger, and they chose - predictably - to lash out at Pearl rather than surrender.
⚠️ Watch the full clip now for Mearsheimer’s full breakdown of the Middle East conflict
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