Can the US win a bloodless war?

The article questions the effectiveness of the Trump administration's strategy of winning a "bloodless war" against Iran through economic strangulation and precision strikes, arguing it is insufficient. While appealing, this approach has resulted in minimal Iranian military casualties (2,000-6,000 out of 610,000 personnel), failing to defeat their army. The author contends that economic pressure disproportionately affects civilians and strengthens the Revolutionary Guards' grip, unlike the Soviet Union's collapse which involved a leadership willing to reform. The article suggests that a focus on degrading capabilities without targeting the regime's internal power structures, as Israel has done, will lead to a deferred conflict rather than a conclusive victory. The author states, "Restraint is a defensible moral choice. It is not, by itself, a war-winning one."