The Dangerous Myth of Easy Air Victory Haunts US Strategy

The belief that air power alone can win a war is a seductive idea for military planners. History, however, shows this promise is often an illusion. To understand the aggressive US rhetoric toward Iran, experts point to a 105-year-old theory. In 1921, Italian General Giulio Douhet published *The Command of the Air*. He argued that future wars would be won not by ground forces, but by massive aerial bombing. Douhet's revolution in warfare targeted civilians and infrastructure to break an enemy's will. This concept of victory from the air has influenced generations. Today, this theory echoes in US discussions of conflict with Iran. The risk, analysts warn, is relying on a quick, clean aerial victory that history suggests does not exist.