Israel's Efforts to Defeat Iran's Nuclear Program: An Integrated Use of National Power
Abstract
Israel s integrated use of national power to counter the Iranian nuclear program has thus far failed insofar as it has not prevented Iran from developing an advanced and fairly well protected nuclear program. This places the Jewish state in a conundrum. On the one hand, and with ample justification, Iran s nuclear program is anathema to Israel s national security strategy; many, including current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, feel it poses an existential threat to the Jewish state. On the other hand, having employed multiple (albeit not all, and not with equal effectiveness) instruments of national power at its disposal to thwart Iran s program, Israel is left with few good courses of action to reach a satisfactory solution. The most serious flaw with Israel s approach is its over-reliance on covert military operations at the expense of investing in other instruments of national power, such as strategic communications and diplomacy. As U.S. President Ronald Reagan so aptly demonstrated in defeating the Soviet Union without engaging it in war while no single instrument of national power is capable of achieving strategic victory, in concert they form a formidable approach.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 03, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA601626
Entities
People
- Risa B. Simon
Organizations
- Marine Corps University