Modcast Season 7 Episode 5 - “Two Separate Wars: American and Israeli”
Host: Shira Barbibay Shaham
Dr. Kristian Gustafson, intelligence and security scholar at Brunel University and a former military professional, joins us on Modcast for a sharp analysis of the Iran war."It feels like almost two wars are going on, an American one and an Israeli one. The Israeli one we understand better; the American one we don't understand particularly well. What are its objectives, and how do the actions so far actually serve them?”Dr. Gustafson views the war in Iran as an extension of the Russia–Ukraine conflict. He is impressed by Israel's intelligence-driven targeting capabilities, probably world-leading in his words, but also reminds us of an uncomfortable truth: outstanding intelligence alone does not win wars.On the American side, he identifies parallels to the Iraq War, and warns, amid unclear American strategy, of a familiar danger: the politicization of intelligence assessments.Finally, he analyzes how NATO interprets the U.S.–Israel alliance driving this war, and what does it mean for the global alliance system?
Join us for another insightful episode!
Dr. Kristian Gustafson, intelligence and security scholar at Brunel University and a former military professional, joins us on Modcast for a sharp analysis of the Iran war."It feels like almost two wars are going on, an American one and an Israeli one. The Israeli one we understand better; the American one we don't understand particularly well. What are its objectives, and how do the actions so far actually serve them?”Dr. Gustafson views the war in Iran as an extension of the Russia–Ukraine conflict. He is impressed by Israel's intelligence-driven targeting capabilities, probably world-leading in his words, but also reminds us of an uncomfortable truth: outstanding intelligence alone does not win wars.On the American side, he identifies parallels to the Iraq War, and warns, amid unclear American strategy, of a familiar danger: the politicization of intelligence assessments.Finally, he analyzes how NATO interprets the U.S.–Israel alliance driving this war, and what does it mean for the global alliance system?
Join us for another insightful episode!
