In a recent Newsweek article, Faculty Fellow Michael Desch evaluated the validity of the Trump campaign’s claim that the president-elect is to thank for the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal.
Trump’s team claimed responsibility for the striking of a ceasefire deal, asserting that his recent election brought people to the table, showing that chaos will not be tolerated.
Although the presidential transition is on many minds, Desch does not believe this is the cause of the ceasefire. Rather, he says Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu realized that goals of completely destroying Hezbollah were unfeasible, and through the signing of this deal Netanyahu was able to take pressure off making a deal over Gaza, hopefully delaying it until the Trump administration is back in power.
Desch is the Packey J. Dee Professor of International Relations at the University of Notre Dame and the founding director of the Notre Dame International Security Center. His specializations include international relations, American foreign policy, international security, political thought, and world politics.