OPINION:
Two recent Washington Times op-eds correctly point out that deterrence in the Middle East has not worked (“U.S. and Israeli deterrence in the Mideast has failed” and “It’s time to eliminate Iran’s proxies,” web, April 15).
In both cases it is noted that the Biden administration has been more concerned with restraining Israel than in taking strong action against the proxy organizations operated by Iran. In the past, the U.S. has exhibited strength — and used that as a deterrent against further hostilities, thereby preventing escalation into open warfare. The present administration has relied instead on diplomacy and meekness, hoping to change hostile nations’ attitudes.
This meekness has led directly to the present unstable situation in the Middle East, and any hope that we will now revert to strength to reinforce deterrence is wishful thinking.
The leading figures in the Biden administration are all holdovers from the Obama presidency. It’s a group that promised to change America, and it has certainly kept that promise. We are now too weak to influence world affairs, and only a change in administration can rectify this appalling fact.
STANLEY ORMAN
Rockville, Maryland
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