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From defence to offence
The three steps on America’s ladder of military escalation
Could America be dragged back into another Middle East war?
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A US Army Terminal High Altitude Area Defence launching station in Israel in 2019.
PHOTO: AFP
The Economist
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To paraphrase an observation attributed to Leon Trotsky, you may not be interested in the Middle East, but the Middle East is interested in you. After a decade of tapering down its military presence in the region, America is back with a huge display of force.
In the past few days, two fighter squadrons have flown in. They follow the deployment of two aircraft-carrier strike groups, multiple air defence systems and much aid to Israel. More units have been told to prepare to deploy.
