It has been nearly a month since Israel sent more than 100 jets and drones to strike Iranian military bases, and the world is still waiting to see how Iran will respond. The calculated, limited strikes also reflect the fact that the alternative -- a war of 'shock and awe' between Israel and Iran -- could lead to dire consequences not just for the region but also much of the world. The tit-for-tat strikes by Iran and Israel bear little resemblance to warfare known as shock and awe -- the use of overwhelming firepower, superior technology and speed to destroy the enemy's physical capabilities and its will to resist -- that was first introduced as a concept in 1996 by two American military experts. While Israel has not used conventional shock and awe against Iran, it has been far less restrained in its attacks on Iran's proxies, Hezbollah and Hamas, as the pager attacks demonstrated.