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This week, the United States and Israel’s war with Iran, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury,” continues to escalate amid concerns over what its long term impacts could be, and echoes of Dwight Eisenhower’s warnings about a “military industrial complex.”
On Saturday, the world learned that the United States and Israel had launched strikes on Iran, following several weeks of unsuccessful attempts at diplomacy. Dubbed “Operation Epic Fury,” the Pentagon’s effort has received mixed feedback, with many still questioning the exact reasoning behind the U.S.’s decision to enter the military campaign, as well as what its longer-term impacts will be on the global economy, international relations, and more.
In our analysis, we take a deep look at the history of U.S. relations with Iran, what led to the current conflict, the present state of the campaign, and what we have learned in the first several days of Operation Epic Fury. However, broader questions about the current war in Iran and the U.S. defense establishment, which include the role of artificial intelligence, also come to mind, evoking concerns over Dwight Eisenhower’s famous decades-old warnings about the influence of a “military industrial complex.”
This episode of Middle Theory is dedicated to all the casualties of the ongoing unrest in Iran, including U.S. military personnel and innocent civilians killed during the recent military conflict, and the Iranian citizens wrongly killed during mass protests earlier this year.
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- Len Tower
- Tania Biswas
SHOW NOTES
- TRUMP: Operation Epic Fury Update, President Donald J. Trump
- HEGSETH/CAINE: Secretary of War and CJCS, Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, Hold Press Briefing
- HISTORY: History of US-Iran relations: From the 1953 regime change to Trump strikes
- WHAT LED TO WAR: How Trump Decided to Go to War With Iran – The New York Times
- BUT WHY ARE WE THERE? Analysis: The Trump team’s shifting story on war with Iran
- The goalposts of the Iran war keep shifting
- NOWHERE TO HIDE: As Maduro and Khamenei Learned, It’s Harder Than Ever for Leaders to Hide
- MISLEADING: The Secretary of Defense Is Misleading the American People | Cato at Liberty Blog
- HOLY WAR? U.S. Troops Were Told Iran War Is for “Armageddon,” Return of Jesus
- MAYBE NOT: Questions Mount Over Viral Claims of Apocalyptic Iran War Briefings in the Military
- WHAT PEOPLE THINK: Trump’s airstrikes on Iran are unpopular, Post poll finds
- AFTER THE FALL: Who Would Lead a Post-Islamic Republic Iran?
- ANTHROPIC ISSUES: Anthropic CEO Amodei says Pentagon’s threats ‘do not change our position’ on AI
- ADMODI STATEMENT: Statement from Dario Amodei on Anthropic discussions with the Dept. of War
- SUPPLY CHAIN RISK: ‘Incoherent’: Hegseth’s Anthropic ultimatum confounds AI policymakers
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