The Editors Episode 856: The Ways of War
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Mar 13, 2026 A vigorous debate about the war with Iran, including strategy, costs, and whether current actions are working. A deep dive into how media narratives and politics shape public perception. Discussion of insurance, Gulf-state reactions, and uncertain endgames. A separate thread on lone-wolf attacks, radicalization, and prosecutions. Lighter segments include favorite bodies of water and reading and TV picks.
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Strait Of Hormuz Disruption Is Largely Financial Not Kinetic
- The Strait of Hormuz closure is a manageable but serious problem driven more by perceived risk and insurance pullback than by widespread mining or ordinance.
- Michael Brendan Dougherty, Rich Lowry, and Noah Rothman note ships avoid transit mainly due to insurers like Lloyd's withdrawing coverage rather than physical blockade evidence.
Campaign Has Degraded Iran Far Short Of Apocalypse
- U.S. strikes have substantially degraded Iran's power-projection assets while avoiding the catastrophic scenarios wargames predicted.
- Rich Lowry and Michael Brendan Dougherty cite 6,000 targets struck, major Iranian air and naval losses, and steep drops in missile and drone capability.
Claims The Administration Didn’t Plan For Hormuz Are Overstated
- Media narratives claim the administration 'didn't plan' for Hormuz closure but that claim misreads decades of contingency planning and recent preparations.
- Rich Lowry and Charles C. W. Cooke point to 1987–88 operations, last July's mining concerns, and Pentagon contingency sequencing.
