CPOST Director Gives Talk on Middle East Crisis at Oakton College
Wed., Oct. 18, 2023
CPOST Director Robert Pape gave a public talk at Oakton College on The Hamas Surprise Attack, Israel’s Response, and
Risks of Escalation on October 18, 2023. With Israel within hours of launching a major ground offensive to completely destroy Hamas militarily and politically, Pape argues it is important to show the US and world why this will lead to massive escalation beyond Gaza, particularly in the West Bank and in Israeli cities.
According to Pape, this escalation is important, because this escalation inside Israel will likely be the trigger for wider escalation with Hezbollah and the region. His presentation starts by clarifying that terrorist groups like Hamas always seek to win through exactly this strategy -- gruesome civilian attacks that provoke the democracy to escalate with ground forces that massively increase recruitment for the terrorist group. The analysis highlights the risk of escalation within Gaza and the West Bank, and implications for regional escalation as well.