Israel has survived the worst. Victory is in hand. Yet the greatest danger may not lie across the border, but in the temptation to return to the previous patterns.

Lessons From History: Why Nations Revert After War
History is rarely kind to those who assume victory is an endpoint rather than a beginning. Nations excel at winning wars and, almost reflexively, stumble spectacularly in the peace that follows. Lessons earned in blood and fire vanish faster than one would expect, replaced by comfortable habits, bureaucratic inertia, and the alluring illusion that the old ways were somehow sufficient.

Israel’s Reality: Before the War vs. After the War

Prior to the recent conflict, Israel operated under the kind of uneasy equilibrium familiar to anyone who has spent a week juggling flaming objects. Iran’s proxies, including Hamas and Hezbollah, pressed against its borders, yet a certain confidence prevailed: a belief that deterrence, intelligence, and selective........

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