Keywords: Iran, US- Israel, Security Dilemma, Middle East Geopolitics, War Causation. This article argues that the war on Iran represents the logical—perhaps inevitable—conclusion of competing structural pressures identified in Richard Overy’s masterwork Why War?. Overy concludes his magisterial study with a sobering observation: “If war has a very long human history, it also has a future.”⁵³ The war on Iran confirms this judgment. ²⁵ Bowen, “A Dangerous Moment.”²⁶ Swanson, “Why Iran Will Escalate.”²⁷ Goldenberg and Swanson, “America’s Best Chance.”²⁸ Swanson, “Why Iran Will Escalate.”²⁹ Overy, Why War?, 147. ³⁵ Swanson, “Why Iran Will Escalate.”³⁶ Swanson, “Why Iran Will Escalate.”³⁷ Liu Kun, “Israel-U.S. Joint Military Actions.”³⁸ Overy, Why War?, 131.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 06, 2026 19:16 UTC