Trump vs. Iran – Did the United States Win the War but Lose the Peace?
History offers many examples of military victories that failed to deliver lasting political gains. One of the most famous comes from the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748), when France won important battles and occupied significant territories, only to return most of its conquests in the peace settlement. Many contemporaries felt that French military achievements had been squandered by diplomacy, giving rise to the expression “bête comme la paix” (“stupid as the peace”). While France had often prevailed on the battlefield, it was Prussia that emerged as the conflict’s principal beneficiary by retaining the rich province of Silesia. Nearly three centuries later, a similar question is being asked about the confrontation between the United States and Iran: did Washington achieve a military victory only to discover that winning the peace may prove far more difficult than winning the war?