In the wee hours of February 28, President Donald Trump announced a massive attack on Iran. The scale of the joint operations with Israel dwarfed those of the so-called 12-Day War last June. For forty days, American and Israeli munitions pounded Iranian military targets and infrastructure. The Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in one of the first strikes; large numbers of Iranian military and political leaders have met the same fate. Iranian missiles and drones poured onto Israel and the Gulf, traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was constricted to a trickle, and world markets suffered.

As of this writing, the United States and Iran have agreed to a tenuous ceasefire—very tenuous, as Israel continues its campaign in Lebanon in apparent violation of the ceasefire conditions articulated by the Pakistani mediators. In this issue, we take a first pass at writing the history of this war so far. Our founding editor, Scott McConnell, examines the long path to conflict; Sumantra Maitra writes about how it will hasten the realignment of the international order; Daniel DePetris tallies the costs; Nicholas Kass gives an expert account of the vexed place (or absence of a place) of the Kurds in the region and the conflict. Andrew Day meditates on what might be next for MAGA—or what’s left of it—after the war.

While the events of the Persian Gulf have captured the attention of the world, other things continue to happen. Paul Gottfried obituarizes Jürgen Habermas, who died on March 14; he finds in the late German intellectual the symbol of his age. Brad Pearce reviews a new book on economics in Africa, and how the dark continent can enjoy a bright future. Nic Rowan brings some technical expertise to Gavin Newsom’s campaign memoir.
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