Relocate or Move On from the Middle East

Peter Zeihan 3 min

The United States lacks a good defense for these systems because it cannot build enough interceptors to match Iranian drone production. Moving bases to Jordan or Israel fails because Iranian drone ranges are extending daily to cover these areas, leading to a broad-scale American withdrawal from the region.

Chapters

  1. 0:00

    The Rise of Memory Drones

    New drones with onboard decision-making capabilities are causing significant damage to US facilities in the Middle East. Iran can produce thousands of drones weekly while the US can only build a dozen interceptors per week. Moving bases to Jordan or Israel fails because Iranian drone ranges are extending daily to cover these areas.

  2. 2:10

    The Ineffectiveness of Patriot Missiles

    Patriot systems cannot solve the interceptor problem due to the sheer volume and range of Iranian drones.

Key points

  • 0:00

    New memory drones can select targets autonomously once near their destination.

  • 0:00

    Autonomous decisions on board prevent jamming of the drone's guidance systems.

  • 0:00

    US military facilities in Kuwait and the UAE have been hit by these drones.

  • 0:00

    The US lacks a good defense for these systems despite having Patriots.

  • 0:00

    Iran can assemble several thousand drones per week while the US builds only a dozen interceptors.

  • 2:10

    Moving bases to Jordan or Israel does not solve the interceptor problem.

  • 0:00

    Iranian drone ranges are extending daily to cover areas previously thought safe.

  • 0:00

    Iranian drones can now reach targets over 600 miles away including Israel.

  • 2:45

    The US will likely withdraw from the region unless the interceptor problem is solved.

On the map

Map of the places in “Relocate or Move On from the Middle East”

Who and where

Places · 11

  • Iran 8
  • Israel 3
  • United States 4
  • Middle East 2
  • Jordan 1
  • Ukraine 3
  • Mediterranean Sea 1
  • Kuwait 1
  • Red Sea 1
  • Yemen 1
  • Saudi Arabia 1

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