Nasrallah gives deterrence lesson

I've a little overdue in highlighting an excellent point made over at Jedi blog S.P.Q.A. regarding the effectiveness of military deterrence.

According to Hezbollah leader Nasrallah, had he known that the Israelis would respond as forcefully as they did to the kidnapping of their soldiers, he would never have ordered it. Even though Olmert never ordered the killing blow, the possibility was always there. This is not only a reminder that non-Westerners are not the military masterminds and adept students of Sun Tzu that lefties imagine them to be, but also of the value of deterrence.
(read the whole thing)

The point he's making is simple, but pithy.
Taking Nasrallah at his word, the expectation of a strong military response would have averted the situation that occurred in Lebanon (including the abduction of the two Israeli soldiers).
That's the essence of deterrence.