The Myth of the ‘Escalation Trap’
Robert Pape has emerged as a star commentator on the Iran war. Is his signature idea hokum? Eli Lake examines whether Pape is right to say the U.S. is in an ‘escalation trap’ with Iran.
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The Myth of the ‘Escalation Trap’Robert Pape is wrong to argue that Iran controls the trajectory of the war and that there are no viable options to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, writes Eli Lake. (Jacquelyn Martin via AP Photo)Robert Pape has emerged as a star commentator on the Iran war. Is his signature idea hokum?By Eli Lake04.28.26 — InternationalFOLLOW COLUMN --:----:--Upgrade to Listen5 minsProduced by ElevenLabs using AI narration3For University of Chicago political scientist Robert Pape, Iran is winning the war. Never mind the decapitation of its military and political leadership or the destruction of the country’s navy, air force, and nuclear program, and of much of its defense industrial base.
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