Diplomacy

The resounding silence echoing from Brussels following Israel’s necessary, preemptive strikes on Iranian military infrastructure represents far more than a transient diplomatic lapse.

NATIONAL AFFAIRS: The month-long war now under way has done more than degrade Iran’s air defenses and cripple parts of its military-industrial complex - it has upended the diplomatic cast.

Force can weaken enemies, but it does not eliminate them nor resolve the underlying conflicts.

Whether the shift in diplomatic tone and practice was inevitable or whether we’ve reached a tipping point, only time will tell. But what’s clear is that the world will never be the same.

If the political situation after the war looks exactly like it did before the war, or worse, the region will have paid an enormous price for very little strategic gain.

With Lebanon’s internal politics and Hezbollah’s influence, Israel must rethink its approach to peace and security.

The proposal reportedly aims to end the current war, secure an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, and create a path toward unprecedented Lebanese recognition of Israel.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s proposed initiative included a request to establish a “complete ceasefire” with Israel and a plea for logistical support for the Lebanese Armed Forces.

Meanwhile, White House official Stephen Miller told a gathering of Latin American military leaders on Thursday that drug cartels can only be defeated with military force.

Today, new opportunities exist. What follows this war should be diplomacy.