There are few examples of successful US regime-change operations in history. And without permanent ground troop presence, these wins can easily be reversed.
When states are attacked, authority gravitates towards institutions capable of mobilising resources, enforcing discipline, and coordinating a military response
Even if it stays on the sidelines of the US-Iran war, the country is fragile. Unlike larger economies that can absorb shocks in global markets, it has little room to cushion the impact.
Cairo and Tehran have been at loggerheads since 1979, but the Iranian threat has always acted as a check on Israeli ambitions. If Iran is completely defeated, Israel will reign supreme.
The announcement last week that the US was pulling its 1,000 troops there has sparked worry, as American presence is seen as crucial for integrating the Kurds and fighting IS
Washington and Tel Aviv may think the key to ending Iran's regime is to kill its missile bank and capabilities, but sometimes strategy matters more than hardware
Disruption in the Hormuz can have major implications for global trade, but it also creates opportunities for smaller nations like Iran to become global political players
The Iraq war was viewed as disastrous in retrospect, while the Iran war was unpopular from the get-go. Al Majalla highlights the similarities and differences between the two.
Pipelines have a chequered history in the Middle East, but the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has led US Tom Barrack to conclude that a new route through Syria could solve some problems.