Judging Freedom Alastair Crooke: The Western Way of War Is a Bust
May 11, 2026
Alastair Crooke, a former British diplomat and analyst of Middle East geopolitics and asymmetric warfare. He critiques Western reliance on high-cost military doctrine. He discusses Israel's shift to permanent-war thinking and its fusion with messianic politics. He examines how asymmetric tactics and accurate Iranian strikes exposed vulnerabilities of big platforms and reshaped regional leverage.
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Western Reliance On Expensive High-End Warfare
- Western militaries remained fixed on high-cost, high-tech force projection as the dominant war model.
- Alastair Crooke explains this stems from Cold War thinking of outspending rivals with stealth aircraft, big bombers, and carriers, leaving little focus on asymmetrical threats.
Israel's Shift To Permanent War Mentality
- Israel adopted a doctrine of perpetual war after October 7, fusing existential fear with expansive security measures.
- Crooke cites Hebrew-press debate framing Hamas as a Holocaust-like threat and critics calling dissent antisemitic.
Ben-Gurion's Small Army Vision Versus Modern Expansionism
- Alastair Crooke recounts Ben-Gurion's original limited-war doctrine for Israel emphasizing reservists and living within borders.
- He contrasts that with post-October 7 fusion of permanent security and messianic territorial ambitions that many now say will fail.