The single biggest mistake of liberal foreign policy is that it assumes the desire for peace in non-Western people groups. There are some to whom it may be applicable, but there are also many, particularly in honor based cultures, to whom it is not. In fact, for many people in various societies around the world, not fighting is so dishonoring, that peace becomes an anathema.
This is often what the liberal worldview simply fails to comprehend.
Enter Iran's not so well kept secret, or hidden, attack on Israel in which they launched an unprecedented aerial attack using over 300 total rockets, missiles, and drones. Even when Germany was shelling the south coast of England during WWII this number would have been embarrassingly large for a single attack. In fact, many are supposing that it will have exhausted the entirety of Iranian long range munitions.
Most liberals will conclude, incorrectly, that this was done "in response" to Israel's strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria, however, Iran has never cared about its people or its proxies before, so why would it start now? No, the real reason why Iran had to do something was because allowing this strike, under the current geopolitical pressures and with its proxy groups actively warring against Israel, to go unanswered would have been a shame on them in a largely honor based society, and so, despite their never having struck at the Israeli homeland with conventional weaponry previously, they decided to take a scorched Earth policy.
Why do I conclude this?
Simple, after 70 projectiles, they tweeted out that it could be over as long as Israel does not respond. Yet, after seeing news reports of the ineffectiveness of their attack, they launched another salvo of 80 projectiles without even waiting to see if Israel would respond.
Then, they did the same thing again, just without the tweet for a total of three salvos.
Three salvos... it is likely that they used up their entire arsenal of long range weaponry which they are unlikely to be able to replace quickly with Russia at war in Ukraine and China stockpiling munitions for an eventual conflict over Taiwan. That means that they are now down to ground forces, which have to pass through multiple independent countries, or air power, which has to pass through other nation's air space.
Iran does not have friends, so they are unlikely to get permission to cross those spaces for an invasion. Their days of counting on the united Arab hatred of Israel appear to be over.
So why would they do all of this?
It makes no sense if what everyone, including them, ultimately desires is peace.
That is, if your 70 projectiles got blown down, then your next 80 projectiles got blown down, why would you then launch another 150ish? You lose your deterrent and ability to enforce peace through strength. You leave yourself open and vulnerable. It is a horrific military strategy.
The answer is quite simple, they know how they will be seen by their proxy groups. They have now proven themselves to be impotent and weak which in their culture is almost worse than being evil. Being evil for Allah is okay, being weak and unable to do his will is not.
For years Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis have all begged Iran to become directly involved in the conflict. They have believed for years that the only reason why they have not been successful at ending Israel and Yemen is that Iran is sitting on the sidelines. So imagine their utter shock and dumbfoudedness when they realized that Iran threw everything it had at Israel and yet only managed to do some minor damage to a small and isolated airfield and injure a single Bedouin shepherd boy who was injured by falling debris.
I can imagine that the conversations taking place in the hidden conclaves of these terrorist murders was quite panicked.
"Iran cannot even turn the tide? Then what will?"
So you might be thinking, particularly if you are a liberal like Joe Biden, that this is some kind of step toward peace. As if their learning that they cannot strike Israel effectively will help Iran to come to some kind of emotive settlement within their geopolitical identity.
Yet this is to fundamentally misunderstand the geopolitical realities of the situation.
Many Russians, in fact you could easily argue the majority of them, care more about being geopolitically respected than having peace.
Most in Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, and Somalia care far more about being powerful and important than having peace.
And yet, many who live in the ivory tower of the Americas, who do not have to worry about war in their home country or deal with the specter of true and genuine geopolitical disrespect, look at these situations and ASSUME that the people participating in them are doing so under some kind of duress. As if the fight is not something that they want; that they crave.
Those thinking this way are wrong.
This is why the right went ballistic when Joe Biden unfroze the Iranian assets and cash flows.
This is also why the right demanded that we pull out of that nonsensical "please do not develop nukes" deal that we had with Iran.
Those postures and positions only work when the people you are negotiating with ACTUALLY WANT peace.
Iran does not.
Sure, right now it is focused on Israel, but there is a reason why the rest of the middle east is not joining with Iran as they did with Egypt and Syria during the six days war.
They know that they will be next.
You see, Iran does not want peace. Once Israel is "dealt" with, it will be time to get the Sunni Muslims (Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, UAE, Jordan, and Yemen et al.). Then, after that caliphate is built, they would set their sights on the rest of the Muslim lands through most of Africa, particularly northern Africa.
You do not have to take my word on it, go look up Iranian geopolitical speeches. You will hear them say it all themselves.
They do not want peace.
They have not wanted peace.
As long as the left continues to approach them as if they want peace, they will continue to be able to get away with what they are getting away with.
Iran only responds to, and respects, strength and force.
Peace through strength is the only true path to peace in our world, because many in our world do not prize peace.
Loving peace may not be uniquely western, but it really mainly is a western concept.