The strike on the “Hezbollah al-Nujaba” militia, the wing that is most unrelenting and audacious in its refusal to be tamed by the state, was a predictable reaction given the group’s leading role in attacks on US interests in Iraq. However, the ultimate question today is whether a critical reexamination of the ramifications of the American “fast food” strikes in the region. Although these strikes satisfy the short-term need to reestablish deterrence and offer a US show of force, they cannot solve the problem.