'The Opinions': General Stanley McChrystal on Iran
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US-Iran tensions are rooted in a 70-year cycle of grievances - modern conflict cannot be understood without the context of the 1953 coup, the 1979 revolution, and the 'Axis of Evil' designation which drive Iranian decision-making.
“Whenever we think of what's happening now, if we don't understand that journey to this point, we don't understand the attitudes that are going to drive decisions people make.”
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Iran's national identity is forged by extreme historical trauma - the brutal eight-year war with Iraq in the 1980s created a resilient veteran class and a clerical leadership with far more staying power than typical authoritarian regimes.
“Iran survives this eight-year, extraordinary experience, twice as long as the First World War. And it sets a mark upon the Iranian population that we shouldn't forget to this day.”
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Decapitation strikes are likely a strategic 'vain hope' - the theological and ideological commitment of the Iranian regime makes a quick, Venezuelan-style collapse improbable compared to traditional secular dictatorships.
“There was some expectation that you could do something very rapid, very fast, decapitation strike... that was a bit of a vain hope, because you have a very different composition of the enemy.”