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Articles by Michael Makovsky
Why Iran Fears Israel, But Not America
| Share: Click here to download the JINSA Insight. As the U.S.-Iran tit-for-tat strikes continue, President Donald Trump might ask: why is it that Iran keeps attacking U.S. troops in Arab countries and ships at sea, but not those in Israel? The main answer is that Iran fears Israel but not America. President Trump repeatedly threatens to hit Iran “hard” in response to Iranian provocations, such as attacks on U.S. ships or U.S. military bases in Arab countries.
How to Win the Iran War
| Share: Click here to download the JINSA Insight. For the first time in six months, President Donald Trump this week raised the objective with which he started the Iran war: creating conditions for eventual regime collapse by the Iranian people. Good. It is the only way this conflict with Iran can properly end.
Shifting the Center of Gravity: Transforming the U.S.-Israel Security Partnership
| Share: Click here to download the full report. Despite being a small country of 10 million, Israel today is arguably America’s most important ally. The security benefits that the United States derives from this partnership far exceed the assistance it provides Israel. By a substantial margin, Israel is the leading military and intelligence power in a region of the world critical to U.S. interests.
Getting on Base: Israel is the Solution to Vulnerability of U.S. Bases in the Gulf
| Share: Click here to download the JINSA Insight Sometimes one can do something right for the wrong reason. It was strategic folly for the United States to commit to Iran in the Memorandum of Understanding “to remove its forces from the proximity of” Iran following a “final Deal,” but it is imperative for the United States to pull military assets from some at-risk bases near Iran.
Reversal of Fortunes: The U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding
| Share: Click here to download the Analysis Overview The U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is a highly flawed arrangement that falls far short of President Donald Trump’s original war objectives and enshrines significant American strategic defeats following many major U.S.-Israeli operational successes in 38 days of armed combat in Operations Epic Fury and Roaring Lion.
‘Epic Fury’ ends with a flop Original
(Jun. 16, 2026 / JNS) As we await the release of the actual text of the U.S.-Iran agreement, it is worth stepping back to assess how we got to this point. It began with the United States and Israel building significant leverage over Iran through coordinated and effective military operations. Then, beginning with the April 8 ceasefire, U.S. President Donald Trump consistently and unilaterally relinquished that leverage.
Trump is lost on Iran Original
(Jun. 5, 2026 / JNS) U.S. President Donald Trump despises losers but is increasingly looking like one in the Iran war. When Iran most recently violated the two-month-old ceasefire, launching 35 missiles and drones, the United States responded not with epic fury but with a slap on the wrist, suggesting epic weakness. Instead, Trump should seize on these Iranian violations to restart military operations, restore American credibility and end this war not with a deal, but a powerful bang.
Trump Is Lost on Iran
| Share: Click here to download the JINSA Insight President Donald Trump despises losers but is increasingly looking like one in the Iran war. When Iran most recently violated the two-month-old ceasefire, launching 35 missiles and drones, the United States responded not with epic fury but with a slap on the wrist, suggesting epic weakness.
No deal with Iran Original
( May 25, 2026 / JNS ) If the reported details of a proposed U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) are broadly accurate, then it would represent a loss of American nerve and a damaging strategic reversal in recent American policy, abandoning many of U.S. President Donald Trump’s prior red lines, undercutting many of the tremendous achievements of the military campaign and undermining U.S. credibility.
Right Tool, Wrong Purpose: Getting the Blockade Right
| Share: Click here to download the JINSA Insight The U.S. naval blockade of Iran is a good policy, but its potential effectiveness appears overstated and purpose misguided. For the blockade to create leverage against Iran, it must be coupled with actions that make regime collapse more likely. After 40 days of war and five days of ceasefire, President Donald Trump initiated a blockade of Iranian ports to pressure the regime to negotiate an acceptable deal.
The Iranian People: America’s Most Powerful Weapon
| Share: Click here to download the JINSA Insight President Donald Trump still retains a powerful weapon against Iran that he has not yet deployed: the Iranian people. They will determine how successful the U.S-Israeli military campaign is, since they alone can topple the Tehran regime. Trump should only end the war with conditions that facilitate such a revolution. Until now, Israel was America’s most critical ally against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In Defense of the War, And How to Finish It
| Share: Click here to download the JINSA Insight The Iran war is a failure, and we should diplomatically conclude a deal to end it quickly. That seems to be the growing consensus among the media and politicians, including some in the Trump administration. Neither is correct. The war has been a major success. The United States is in a stronger position, and Iran weaker, than it was on February 27, before the war started. It is important to keep it that way.
Iran’s Next Move Is the Bomb—If the Regime Survives
As the United States and Israel continue to decimate Iran’s conventional capabilities, it becomes clearer that their campaign cannot stop until at least one of two objectives is achieved: the collapse of the Tehran regime, or the end of its nuclear program Read Full Article » Show comments Hide Comments
Iran’s Next Move Is the Bomb—If the Regime Survives
As the United States and Israel continue to decimate Iran’s conventional capabilities, it becomes clearer that their campaign cannot stop until at least one of two objectives is achieved: the collapse of the Tehran regime, or the end of its nuclear program. If the regime survives, it will be even more determined and desperate to go nuclear.
Iran’s Next Move Is the Bomb—If the Regime Survives
As the United States and Israel continue to decimate Iran’s conventional capabilities, it becomes clearer that their campaign cannot stop until at least one of two objectives is achieved: the collapse of the Tehran regime, or the end of its nuclear program. If the regime survives, it will be even more determined and desperate to go nuclear.
Focus on Regime Collapse
| Share: Click here to download the JINSA Insight It’s regime collapse, and all the rest is commentary. That precept should guide President Donald Trump in navigating his administration’s seeming uncertainty about how best to respond to the Iranian regime’s vicious suppression of the mass Iranian uprising.
Quarantine Iran’s Oil to Collapse Regime
| Share: Click here to download the JINSA Insight. Despite President Trump’s threats, Iranian leaders have intensified their imprisonment and killing of anti-regime protesters. To ratchet up the pressure on the regime and fulfill his promise to “rescue” the Iranian people, Trump should impose a naval quarantine, as he is doing with , to cut off the regime’s oil exports—its main source of revenue—and declare that America seeks the collapse and end of the current autocratic regime in Tehran.
America’s Air Force base in Qatar is a liability: Shut it down
Iran’s missile attack against the Al Udeid U.S. Air Force base in Qatar reveals an inconvenient fact: The U.S. base there is a military liability. Worse, it is also a political liability, granting Qatar, with its anti-American agenda, too much leverage over U.S. policy. It is time for U.S. forces to move on. Al Udeid was the U.S. military’s crown jewel in the Middle East for two decades. Qatar built the base, the largest in the Middle East utilized by the U.S., at a cost of more than $8 billion.
Opinion - America’s Air Force base in Qatar is a liability: Shut it down
Editor’s Note: This story was updated to correct the byline. We regret the error. Iran’s missile attack against the Al Udeid U.S. Air Force base in Qatar reveals an inconvenient fact: The U.S. base there is a military liability. Worse, it is also a political liability, granting Qatar, with its anti-American agenda, too much leverage over U.S. policy. It is time for U.S. forces to move on. Al Udeid was the U.S. military’s crown jewel in the Middle East for two decades.
Not Over: Ensuring Iran Does Not Rebuild
| Share: Israel’s 12-day military campaign against Iran and its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities will almost certainly be viewed as a major turning point in the history of the modern Middle East—on a par with such transformative events as the wars of 1967 and 1973, the Camp David Accords and Iranian revolution, 9/11 and 10/7. It capped off 21 months of dramatic regional events.
Trump must stand firm with Israel to slam the door on Iran’s nukes — and achieve Middle East peace Original
By attacking Iran’s nuclear program, Israel has acted to uphold what five successive American presidents from both parties, including President Donald Trump, have identified as a vital national interest of the United States. Now is the time for Washington to leave the regime in Tehran with no doubt about America’s unwavering support for our closest and most capable Middle Eastern ally.
Bad idea: Trump risks following in Barack Obama’s footsteps
If he continues his current negotiating approach with Iran, President Trump risks being the second coming of Barack Obama. Thanks to fantastic Israeli military achievements, Trump inherited unprecedented leverage to drive a hard bargain with Iran over its nuclear program. Instead, he appears on the cusp of repeating Obama’s fatal mistake by cutting a weak deal that will maintain Iran’s nuclear threat, strengthen the Tehran regime and make war more likely.
Opinion - Bad idea: Trump risks following in Barack Obama’s footsteps
If he continues his current negotiating approach with Iran, President Trump risks being the second coming of Barack Obama. Thanks to fantastic Israeli military achievements, Trump inherited unprecedented leverage to drive a hard bargain with Iran over its nuclear program. Instead, he appears on the cusp of repeating Obama’s fatal mistake by cutting a weak deal that will maintain Iran’s nuclear threat, strengthen the Tehran regime and make war more likely.
Stopping Iran’s Nuclear Program Requires U.S.-Israel Unity
No specific weapons transfer can ensure Israel is able to block Tehran’s nuclear ambitions on its own—even an MOP. The right weapons are critical to success in battle, but at some point, generals have to fight with what they’ve got. That means Israel will likely have to attack Iran’s nuclear program without receiving the massive ordnance penetrator (MOP), the world’s largest bunker buster, from the United States.
No More Talk: It's Time to Destroy Iran's Nuclear Weapons Program
It’s a trap. President Donald Trump loves making deals but there is no deal to be had with Iran on its nuclear program, just dead-end negotiations. Instead, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Washington next week, the deal he should make is with Israel, to support, if not join it, in destroying Iran’s nuclear facilities. Trump certainly knows a good deal from a bad one.
No More Talk: It's Time to Destroy Iran's Nuclear Weapons Program
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Iran’s nuke sites more exposed than ever — Trump must help Israel take them out Original
Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan haunted his presidency. His poll numbers at home never recovered, and foreign aggressors took his ineptitude as an invitation to challenge US interests. Donald Trump will have a unique opportunity to do the exact opposite at the start of his second term — a sort of “reverse Afghanistan” that shocks the world through the successful application of American power — by cooperating with Israel to destroy Iran’s nuclear program.
Now That Harris Has Lost, Let Israel Win
Some of these delays may be for legitimate reasons—such as U.S. shortages—but others are intentional. The Biden administration has drawn from the Obama playbook, using bureaucratic processes to avoid or slow delivery of weapons without technically blocking them. During the 2014 war in Gaza, President Obama delayed but didn’t block the transfer of Hellfire missiles and other munitions to Israel to restrain its military operations.
Opinion | Now That Harris Has Lost, Let Israel Win
Biden’s decision to block weapons shipments to the Jewish state was a military and political failure. By Michael Makovsky and Blaise Misztal WSJ Opinion Docs: This 20 minute film sheds light on the worst antisemitic riot in American history, which occurred in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, in 1991. The current wave of antisemitism makes these events newly relevant and worthy of reconsideration.
The failure of Joe Biden's 'Just Say Don't' foreign policy * WorldNetDaily * by Michael Makovsky & Blaise Misztal, Real Clear Wire
“Don’t.” That has been President Biden’s repeated message to Iran and Hezbollah in the year since Hamas attack Israel on October 7. Well, Iran just did. Again. That makes Tehran’s October 1 attack on Israel with about 180 ballistic missiles a test not just of Israeli resolve, but of American credibility. The United States should join with Israel in imposing, as national security advisor Jake Sullivan said, “severe consequences” on Iran.
The failure of Biden’s 'Just Say Don’t' foreign policy
By Michael Makovsky & Blaise Real Clear Wire “Don’t.” That has been President Biden’s repeated message to Iran and Hezbollah in the year since Hamas attack Israel on October 7. Well, Iran just did. Again. That makes Tehran’s October 1 attack on Israel with about 180 ballistic missiles a test not just of Israeli resolve, but of American credibility. The United States should join with Israel in imposing, as national security adviser Jake Sullivan said, “severe consequences” on Iran.
The Failure of Biden’s 'Just Say Don’t' Foreign Policy
“Don’t.” That has been President Biden’s repeated message to Iran and Hezbollah in the year since Hamas attack Israel on October 7. Well, Iran just did. Again. That makes Tehran’s October 1 attack on Israel with about 180 ballistic missiles a test not just of Israeli resolve, but of American credibility. The United States should join with Israel in imposing, as national security advisor Jake Sullivan said, “severe consequences” on Iran.
By Itself, With U.S.: The Case for a U.S.-Israel Mutual Defense Treaty Post-10/7
| Share: The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of Hamas’s barbaric attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and ensuing events on the value of a U.S.-Israel mutual defense treaty (MDT), which JINSA has promoted since 2018.
Harris' incoherent Middle East strategy
OPINION: Hamas’ execution of six innocent hostages, including an American, is a gut-wrenching, harrowing reminder of the savagery inflicted upon Israel last Oct. 7 by the Iran-backed terrorist group. It also exposes the folly of the Biden-Harris administration’s pressuring Israel — as it did again even as the murdered hostages were being buried — and not Hamas’ backers Iran and Qatar.
Iran Won't Give Up on Attacking Donald Trump
The Biden-Harris administration has also been weak in responding to Iranian proxy attacks on U.S. forces. Our organization, JINSA, has tracked 263 attacks on U.S. forces in the Middle East since Biden became president—87 before Hamas‘s barbaric Oct. 7 attack on Israel and 176 since. The most recent came on Aug. 5, just days before news of the plotter’s arrest.
Between Israel and Hezbollah, Biden is choosing shame — and risking war Original
President Biden has a choice: no daylight between the United States and Israel, or an Israel-Hezbollah war no one wants now. For months his administration has chosen daylight — and has risked war. It needs to reverse course. After Hamas’ barbaric Oct.
It’s not a question of if but when Israel goes to war with Hezbollah
Gaza is but one front in a wider Iran-Israel conflict that is already shifting northward to Lebanon. Recent senior Israeli warnings suggest a full-scale war between Israel and Iran’s powerful proxy Hezbollah is becoming more a question of when and not if. Immediately after Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7, Israeli leaders feared that Hezbollah, with its 150,000-rocket arsenal and precision-guided munitions, might attack next and debated, but ultimately decided against, preempting it.
It’s not a question of if but when Israel goes to war with Hezbollah
The Hill | Share: Excerpt Below: Gaza is but one front in a wider Iran-Israel conflict that is already shifting northward to Lebanon. Recent senior Israeli warnings suggest a full-scale war between Israel and Iran’s powerful proxy Hezbollah is becoming more a question of when and not if. Immediately after Hamas’s attack on Oct.
Israel’s Great Strategic Failure
Tablet Magazine | Share: It wasn’t October 7. It’s the continuing avoidance of military action against Hezbollah in Lebanon. It has become conventional wisdom after Oct. 7 that Israel for years had the wrong policy toward Gaza. While the unfathomable catastrophe of that day has rightly forced a critical examination of all the factors that led to it, it’s arguable that Israel’s broad pre-Oct.
Israel’s Great Strategic Failure
It has become conventional wisdom after Oct. 7 that Israel for years had the wrong policy toward Gaza. While the unfathomable catastrophe of that day has rightly forced a critical examination of all the factors that led to it, it’s arguable that Israel’s broad pre-Oct. 7 policy toward Gaza, in contrast to its strategic conception and military preparation, was at least understandable, if not correct.
Biden’s Israel arms embargo will go down as one of the worst American betrayals
After Hamas’ savage attack on Israel on Oct. 7, Biden declared, “The United States stands with Israel. We will not ever fail to have their back.” He immediately supplied Israel with weapons and visited the Jewish state. But the White House determined that to win reelection the president needed to cater to pro-Hamas, anti-Israel, anti-American Arab-Americans in Michigan and to young Americans with similar views.
Biden's Israel arms embargo will go down as one of the worst American betrayals Original
President Joe Biden hosts a Cinco de Mayo reception in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, DC, May 6, 2024. ZUMAPRESS.com On Tuesday, President Biden declared, “Never forget.” On Wednesday, he forgot. On purpose. In remembrance of the Holocaust, Biden solemnly proclaimed, “Never again, simply translated, means never forget.” Actually, it means never again will a genocide of the Jews be allowed.
How a Bureaucratic Change Helped Save Israel
An obscure bureaucratic change enabled the extremely successful, coordinated defense of Israel against the recent Iranian attack. President Donald Trump’s January 2021 decision to transfer Israel to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) ensured the unprecedented Israeli-American-British-Arab collaboration that repelled 99 percent of Iran’s missiles and drones. Prior to 2021, Israel was to the U.S. European Command’s (EUCOM) area of responsibility.
Ibn Saud, FDR, and the Future of the Jewish State
On Feb. 14, 1945, President Franklin Roosevelt met King Abdul Aziz Al Saud, or Ibn Saud, the founder of Saudi Arabia, on the USS Quincy, a warship parked in the Suez Canal. Together, they transformed the Middle East and ushered in decades of close U.S.-Saudi ties. That conclave remains a cherished lodestar for the Saudis to this day, with pictures of it adorning their government offices, while the United States still calls its ambassador’s residence in Riyadh the Quincy House.
After Biden’s Afghanistan fiasco, why should Israel take his advice?
The Hill | Share: “Great, now we’re taking lessons from the losers.” So said Captain Hawkeye Pierce in the TV comedy “M*A*S*H” after a U.S. general invoked a German war practice. Israeli leaders likely had the same thought when asked to listen to Biden officials’ ideas for completing the Gaza war.
After Biden’s Afghanistan fiasco, why should Israel take his advice?
“Great, now we’re taking lessons from the losers.” So said Captain Hawkeye Pierce in the TV comedy “M*A*S*H” after a U.S. general invoked a German war practice. Israeli leaders likely had the same thought when asked to listen to Biden officials’ ideas for completing the Gaza war.
Conditioning U.S. Aid to Israel Would Be a Mistake
Washington Examiner | Share: As Israel continues its military campaign to destroy the genocidal, Iranian-backed terrorist organization Hamas following the savage Oct. 7 attacks, some members of the House and Senate seek to condition U.S. security assistance to Israel on other factors. President Joe Biden had called proposals to condition aid “a gigantic mistake” and an “absolutely outrageous” idea when running for president.
Conditioning US aid to Israel would be a mistake
As Israel continues its military campaign to destroy the genocidal, Iranian-backed terrorist organization Hamas following the savage Oct. 7 attacks, some members of the House and Senate seek to condition U.S. security assistance to Israel on other factors. President Joe Biden had called proposals to condition aid “a gigantic mistake” and an “absolutely outrageous” idea when running for president.
Joe Biden’s Plan for a Palestinian State Will Harm America and Israel Original
Hamas commits the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. Hundreds of civilians from Gaza actively participate in the slaughter. Spontaneous erupt from Khan Yunis to Ramallah. Washington’s preferred partner, the Palestinian Authority (PA), has yet to condemn the atrocities. How does President Joe Biden propose to counter this assault on American values and interests? Unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, reportedly.
America Must Give Israel More Time to Defeat Hamas
Time is a precious commodity in Israel’s fight against Hamas terrorists. As Israel prepares to enter Hamas’s final stronghold, Rafah, the United States should ensure Israel has as much time as it needs to fully defeat Hamas. Fighting terrorists who wear no uniform in urban terrain is complicated—as one of us learned during deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, battlefields that, however terrible, were simpler than Gaza.
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