The US-Iran-Israel War has been raging for over 3 months, and regardless of the next phase, something has fundamentally changed in the Mideast and globally. What led to the crisis? Why is the ceasefire/peace deal so fragile? How was the Strait of Hormuz transformed into such a critical point of leverage? What is the Escalation Trap, and why did the U.S. fall into it? How can we analyze the conflict within the context of the Escalation Trap? What do we need to understand about the illusion of air power? What are the escalation and de-escalation pathways? Furthermore, what are the geopolitical & economic consequences of this conflict over the short and long term? What should we expect in the next phase? We spoke to Prof. Robert Pape, the renowned political scientist & international security affairs expert, who developed the Escalation Trap framework, to gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of the conflict. Part 1 of 2.