We Still Haven’t Answered the Basic Questions of the Iran War
The article argues that understanding the ongoing conflict with Iran requires moving beyond simple military metrics and instead focusing on strategic concepts like 'center of gravity' and 'decisive points' as defined by military theorists Carl von Clausewitz and Antoine-Henri Jomini. It suggests Iran's true strength lies in its institutions, particularly the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the clerical establishment, rather than its military hardware, while the U.S. may be more vulnerable in its political and economic spheres. The piece emphasizes that modern warfare demands nuanced thinking about power, resilience, and leverage rather than reliance on numerical superiority or conventional tactics.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
We Still Haven’t Answered the Basic Questions of the Iran WarThe old lessons still apply to modern war.Mark HertlingApr 29, 2026ShareA woman walks past mockups of Iranian missiles along Valiasr Square in Tehran on April 6, 2026. (Photo by Atta Kenare / AFP via Getty Images)OCCASIONALLY, WHEN THINGS START to look a little too neat, a little too measurable, a little too certain, I like to return to an old friend for guidance. Carl von Clausewitz, the nineteenth-century Prussian officer, might be a questionable choice for insight into a twenty-first-century fight. But he wrote one of the most enduring works on military theory in the history of the world, and there’s a reason military professionals around the globe turn to him for understanding—especially about our own limits.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Bulwark.
