THIS is a ‘TEST OF WILLS’: Victor Davis Hanson

♪. ♪ .MARK:- WELCOME BACK AMERICA. FOR REAR IS OUR FRIEND, MY GOOD. FRIEND VICTOR DAVIS HANSON. INSTITUTION SENIOR FELLOW. MORE THAN THAT REALLY, JUST A. GREAT HISTORIAN. LET ME ASK YOU TO QUESTION THIS. WAY. WE ARE AT WAR WITH IRAN, THE. IRANIAN REGIME. HOW IMPORTANT IS THIS WAR. HISTORICALLY? BECAUSE IT IS MY CONTENTION IT.

IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE WON. THE COLD WAR. BUT STARTING SOMEWHAT BEFORE THE. COLD WAR THE LAST HALF CENTURY. EFFECTIVELY THERE HAS BEEN AN. ALERT A GEOPOLITICAL MASS EFFORT. TO CHANGE SOCIETY THAT HAS BEENN. GOING ON OUT FRONT AND CENTER. PRESIDENT TRUMP IS CONFRONTING. IT AND DEALING WITH IT BECAUSE. OF THE PURSUIT OF NUCLEAR. WEAPONS. YOU ARE THE HISTORIAN HERE AM I. RIGHT ABOUT THAT? >> I THINK FOR MOST OF OUR LIVES.

THE MIDDLE EAST THAT SUPPLIED 40. OR 50% OF THE WORLD'S OIL WAS A. QUESTION OF COLD WAR POWERS. RUSSIA IS NOT COMMUNIST ANYMORE. OLIGARCH TRICKLE TYRANNICAL. SOCIETY. IT'S LOST ITS PATRON SYRIA. IT LOST IRAN. AND IN CHINA PEOPLE ARE WISING. UP TO CHINA AND THE MIDDLE EAST. IS NOT GETTING OIL FROM IRAN. IRAN'S LAST REAL OBSTACLE IN THE. MIDDLE EAST WAS ALL SORTS OF. COUNTRIES IN THE GULF AND.

MODERATE COUNTRIES THAT WANT TO. BE EITHER NEUTRAL TO US OR. AREALLIED TO US. THAT IS THE WEST BUT IRAN WAS. THE BULLY OF THE MIDDLE EAST. 93 MILLION PEOPLE THE SIZE OF. TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA COMBINED. TALK ABOUT EXISTENTIAL DESIRE TO. DESTROY PEOPLE, AND IT DOES IT'S. THE OPPOSITE SEVEN PRESIDENTS. KNEW THAT. THEY ALSO KNEW THAT IF YOU GO IN. THERE IT WAS A MESS THAT LARGEST. POPULATION EXCEPT FOR EGYPT AND.

THEIR FANATIC. EVERY PRESENT AND SORT OF LIKE. THE OLD EGYPT BAY BUT WITH GOT. TO BUILD THE CAT BUT NOBODY. WANTS TO PUT THE BELL ON THE. CAT. DONALD TRUMP IS THE FIRST ONE. THAT SAID I WILL DO IT. HE DID AT GREAT POLITICAL RISK. .MARK:- LIST TO GET INTO THAT A. LITTLE BIT WE ARE AT. CONFRONTATION WITH THE IRANIAN. REGIME. WE ARE POUNDING THE [BLEEP] OUT. OF IT. WE ARE POUNDING THEM VERY HARD.

HOW LONG CAN THIS GO ON IN THIS. WAY? OTHER WORDS ARE WE GOING TO. DEFEAT THEM? ARE WE TRYING TO CONTAIN THEM? ARE GOING TO TRY TO OPEN THE. MAMDANI WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? IT IS A TEST OF WILLS FOR THEIR. COUNTING ON THE IDEA THAT AT. SOME POINT, THEY HAVE TWO. OBJECTIVES ONE AND WANT TO SING. THE VICTIM AND WE ARE BEING. PARTIALLY ASYMMETRICAL TO THEM.

DON'T THE EUROPEANS AND THE. PEOPLE ON THE LEFT TO SAY OKAY. ALREADY STOP YOU'RE ONLY HURTING. THE IRANIAN PEOPLE AND TO THEY. FEEL THEY CAN HIDE 50, 2100. MISSILES SO THEY CAN INTIMIDATE. THE GULF STATES AND THE OIL. SUPPLIERS AND DISRUPT THE STRAIT. OF HORMUZ. OUR STRATEGY IS TO INFLICT A. LEVEL OF DAMAGE UPON THEM FOR. THEIR NOT ABLE TO HARM THE OTHER. COUNTRIES.

AND THEN TO LEAVE BECAUSE I. DON'T THINK YOU CAN NEGOTIATE. WITH THESE PEOPLE. I THINK THERE MAY BE REGIME. CHANGE BUT IT WILL ONLY TAKE. PLACE AFTER THE SHOOTING STOPS. AND THE PEOPLE COME OUT OF THEIR. APARTMENTS AND SEE THE. DEVASTATION AND SEE THIS. GOVERNMENT WILL NOT HELP THEM. BUT IT WANTS TO REARM. AND THEN WE LEAVE A FLEET TO. KEEP THE STRAIGHT OPEN. WE SUPPLY OUR GOAL FOR FRIENDS. AND ISRAEL AND THEY WILL MONITOR. IT. FROM TIME TO TIME I'M AFRAID.

EVERY TIME WE SEE THEM A YEAR. FROM NOW, THREE YEARS FROM NOW. WE SEE ACTIVITY AT PICS ASKED. MOUNTAIN OR ANY OF THESE PLACES. WE GO IN AND TAKE IT OUT. THEY ARE COUNTING ON THE LONG. HAUL ON THE LEFT WING PRESIDENT. WHO WILL GO BACK TO THE OBAMA. PARADIGM THAT SAID WE WANT TO BE. NEUTRAL ON THE SHIA UNDERDOGS. THE PERSIAN UNDERDOGS HAVE NOT. HAD A FAIR SHAKE IN THE MIDDLE. EAST.

THEY WILL ADJUDICATE THAT AND. THAT GOD IS IN THIS JAM FOR THE. MOST PART. .MARK:- VICTOR COMMENT WHEN WE. COME BACK I WENT TO ASK ABOUT. THAT. I SUSPECT WE ARE NOT WOULD HAVE. A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT FOR THE. REST OF TIME. CERTAINLY NOT GOING TO HAVE. DONALD TRUMP FOR THE REST OF. TIME. WE HAVE OUR OWN GOVERNMENTAL. CHANGE ACCORDING TO OUR SYSTEM. IF THE PEOPLE VOTE FOR EIGHT. DEMOCRATS WERE GOING TO HAVE A. DEMOCRAT I DON'T BELIEVE YOU'RE. GOING TO CONTAIN A RUN AT ALL.

BASED ON WHAT THEY ARE SAYING. AND SO WE TALKED ABOUT HITTING. THEM, THE ISRAEL.