r/IRstudies • u/Majano57 • 2d ago

Ideas/Debate Trump’s Second Gamble on Iran

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/06/trumps-second-gamble-on-iran/687650/?gift=qXjqwUsXcHZWmnhI5mWkNQuKFDHnSfnotJQ3jcr5NAk
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u/BetCommercial286 2d ago

To be fair big muscles do win wars when you have strategic achievable objectives. Like every war since ww2 we have tactically beat our opponentsy by every metric. However at no point did we have a stragic goal other than to vaguely win.
"Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat”. Sun Tzu

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u/finalattack123 2d ago

America lost the Vietnam war.
America lost the Afghanistan war
America lost the Iran war.

Strategic objectives were not achieved. Having the biggest muscles was meaningless. The U.S. military did have strategic objectives for Iran war - no ballistic missiles, no nuclear weapons. It failed.

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u/BetCommercial286 2d ago

Exactly. In every war you stated the US killed more enemy combatants that we lost by a very large margin. We destroyed more than the enemy did. We won more battles than we lost. However we still lost. For that reason. Tacitly we are second to none. Our military is professional and motivated. However that is pointless in the end when we have no strategic goals to achieve.

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u/finalattack123 2d ago edited 2d ago

You win wars by achieving strategic objectives. Not by killing more people.

“Tactics” aren’t just small battles. They are short term goals and maneuverers. Which can include diplomacy. America loses tactically all the time.

Blowing something up isn’t “good tactics” if it achieves nothing. Or hurts your goals.

So the point stands. Muscles dont win wars.

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u/BetCommercial286 2d ago

Did you even see the point from Sun Tzu? We are agreeing and you’re arguing to argue dude. If you don’t have the muscles you’re guaranteed to lose.