Summary: Iran's recent attack on Israel, involving 300 drones and missiles, represents a strategy termed "kinetic diplomacy," where military actions serve symbolic rather than tactical roles. Despite fears of escalating into World War III, the attack had limited strategic impact, with over 99% of the projectiles intercepted. This event, like others in the modern era, underscores the importance of nuanced media consumption and understanding geopolitical tactics. Kinetic diplomacy aims to demonstrate military capabilities without triggering full-scale conflict, serving as a reminder of power while allowing for diplomatic maneuvering. Such strategies highlight the complex interplay between military showmanship and diplomatic messaging.

On Saturday, Iran launched some 300 drones and missiles at Israel in an attack many feared could bring about World War III… But in reality, all that transpired was kinetic diplomacy playing out in real time, as has happened numerous other times throughout this most recent era of Middle Eastern conflicts.

In this era of attention-based media economics, it’s more important than ever to read beyond headlines to understand what’s going on in the world – and Iran’s recent attack offers us a valuable opportunity to discuss the increasingly common military and geopolitical strategy of kinetic diplomacy.

Kinetic diplomacy describes military actions that are more symbolic than tactical. It can be deadly but it also intentionally comes with limited strategic importance for both attacking and defending parties.

Iran launched what has been characterized as a retaliatory strike against Israel in the form of multiple waves of cruise and ballistic missiles accompanied by weaponized drones. These attacks, which came both from inside Iran and to a lesser extent from Iran’s proxies positioned around the Middle East, have been misleadingly represented as a prelude to World War III, with global powers seemingly positioning themselves in support of one side or the other and potentially setting the stage for catastrophe.

This sensationalized view of the weekend’s attack........

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