Axis of Resistance: Asymmetric Deterrence and Rules of the Game in Contemporary Middle East Conflicts

An in-depth analysis of the primary conflicts animating the contemporary struggle over the regional order of the Middle East.

From the conflict between the United States and the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria to the recent Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, events in today's Middle East reflect the emergence of what has come to be known as an Iran-led axis of resistance. A geopolitical network of state- and nonstate actors seeking to promote a new regional order, the axis primarily includes the Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Yemen's Houthi rebels, Syria, and multiple Iran-supported Shiite militias in Iraq. Drawing on qualitative in-depth research in Hebrew and Arabic, and on exclusive interviews with senior Israeli officials, Axis of Resistance offers the first comprehensive analysis of the evolution of the axis and its application of a distinct strategic approach to asymmetrical conflicts-that of resistance. Author Daniel Sobelman shows that the various resistance forces in the region have pursued an analogous asymmetrical deterrent strategy whose origins trace back to the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in southern Lebanon, whereby the weaker actor attempts to subject the stronger state to limiting rules of the game.