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Eliot Cohen on Why America Keeps Losing Wars It Should Win

Geopolitics
United States
Started October 18, 2026

Yascha Mounk and Eliot Cohen delve into the lost meaning of “strategy” and why Trump's Iran gambit went off the rails

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CLAIM Posted by admin • Oct 18, 2026
Political leadership must be held accountable for military failures to ensure future success.
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CLAIM Posted by admin • Oct 18, 2026
The U.S. should acknowledge that some regional conflicts cannot be resolved by military means alone, regardless of American military superiority.
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CLAIM Posted by admin • Oct 18, 2026
Whether military action is taken or avoided, the decision must flow from a strategy that names the end state and the resources required to reach it.
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CLAIM Posted by admin • Oct 18, 2026
The focus on technological superiority does not guarantee victory in asymmetric warfare.
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CLAIM Posted by admin • Oct 18, 2026
Military interventions require explicit agreement between civilian leaders and commanders on what success looks like before combat begins.
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CLAIM Posted by admin • Oct 18, 2026
Nation-building and counterinsurgency campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan failed because America conflated military dominance with political control.
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CLAIM Posted by admin • Oct 18, 2026
Military interventions should be based on comprehensive strategies rather than reactive measures.
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CLAIM Posted by admin • Oct 18, 2026
Public support for military action should be contingent upon clearly defined goals and exit strategies.
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CLAIM Posted by admin • Oct 18, 2026
The gap between American military capability and political will to use it wisely reflects a failure of leadership, not a failure of troops or weapons systems.
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CLAIM Posted by admin • Oct 18, 2026
Over-reliance on military force without diplomatic solutions leads to unnecessary losses.
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