‘Destruction is not the same as political success’: US bombing of Iran shows little evidence of endgame strategy
In 2003, the George W. Bush administration launched “Shock and Awe” in Iraq with the explicit aim of regime change. The political objective was never achieved at all. In 2011, the Obama administration led a NATO air campaign in Libya that quickly expanded from civilian protection into regime change. But Iran’s political system is institutional — the Guardian Council, the Assembly of Experts and the Revolutionary Guard have survived for four decades. There is no American theory of political endgame in Iran — only a theory of destruction.
Source: Libya Today March 03, 2026 00:00 UTC