Legend has it that a frog placed in a shallow pot of water heating on a stove will remain happily in the pot of water as the temperature continues to climb, and will not jump out even as the water slowly reaches the boiling point and kills the frog. The change of one degree of temperature at a time is so gradual that the frog doesn't realize he is being boiled until it is too late.While the story is an apologue - a pretty fable meant to convey a meaningful lesson - it is one frequently invoked by militaries and geopoliticians to describe the "long game" of reaching strategic objectives.
Today, it is Iran and its regional allies who are using a measured approach to increase temperatures in West Asia until the water boils the US and Israeli 'frogs' to death. Strategy, discipline, and rare patience - the antithesis of western short-termism - will bring Iran victory. To quote the Taliban: "Americans have watches, but we have the time."
Comment: The Cradle comments: