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The Islamic Republic isn’t a problem that can be wished away through quick fixes. Countering Iran, which is a far less challenging foe than the former Soviet Union and communist-turned-fascist China, is, nonetheless, a demanding prospect. And we know what doesn’t work: Arms-control agreements laced with financial dividends didn’t transform the Islamist regime into a responsible state.
Eric S. Edelman was undersecretary of defense for policy (2005-2009) and has served as the co-chair for the congressionally mandated Commissions to review the National Defense Strategy in 2018 and 2024.
Reuel Marc Gerecht, a former Iranian-targets officer in the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, is a resident scholar at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
