Fareed Zakaria, writing in The Washington Post, has provided a living illustration.

Reality has changed, but look beyond the headlines. On closer examination, one can see that [the situation] has changed dramatically in Israel’s favor.

Here’s an example of how things have moved in Israel’s favor.

[T]here is the disappearance of the Arab threat. From its first day in existence, Israel has faced the danger of extinction by Arab armies. This is the threat against which the Jewish state has planned, armed and trained for most of its national life. Today, it’s gone.

Say, what? It’s true that some of the threat from nation-state Arab armies has lessened. Jordan and Egypt made peace with Israel decades ago. But on Israel’s southern border is the Palestinian Authority, which only last summer launched a terrorist-style war against Israel from Gaza and presently is being re-funded and re-armed by Iran. On Israel’s northern border there are Hezbollah, al Nusra, and Daesh…and Syria. Hezbollah is continuing operations against Israel in during the chaos of the Syrian civil war (which Zakaria argues with a straight face represents a lessening of the threat to Israel).

And: who will win the civil war? In the perspective of the threat to Israel, it doesn’t matter. If al Nusra and Daesh win, the one will resume operations against Israel, and the other will begin, and we’ve seen how Daesh treats those who oppose them. If al Assad “saves” Syria, that nation will resume harboring terrorist activities against Israel—and against Lebanon, thereby broadening Israel’s northern front.

The Iranians are on the verge of gaining nuclear weapons, and they’ve sworn to destroy Israel. Imagine what will happen at the hands of a nuclear-armed Iran. Things have moved in Israel’s favor?

Then there’s this bit of foolishness:

Whatever the outcome of nuclear negotiations, it is worth remembering that Israel has a powerful deterrent….

Deterrent against whom, exactly? A nation whose leadership doesn’t think at all like we do, doesn’t have the same pain thresholds, doesn’t even have the same triggers of pain? Men for whom death is not to be feared but a consummation devoutly to be wished, being martyrdom and a path to Heaven and to virgins?

Zakaria’s premise is false, and therefor so is his entire “argument.”