The Mosaic: Understanding Iran's Defensive Strategy.

If you have even the slightest interest in geopolitics, and given that you are here, you probably do, then you will probably have heard a politician refer to a rival nation as a snake. And, well, you know what often comes next, calls to cut off the head of the snake. A Trump ally recently used that phrase in an interview with CNN.

Trump could bring peace in Iran by cutting off the head of the snake. The idea isn't just limited to political rhetoric. It shaped modern military doctrine, particularly in the West, for decades.

The idea that by eliminating the people in charge of a regime, you can eliminate the regime itself. According to Dr. Chukai Arudani, an international relations scholar, modern warfare is often fought under the belief that destroying an adversary's political or military corps can produce rapid strategic collapse.