Indicators are mounting that the world is heading toward an era of multipolarity, signaling the twilight of the age of singular American hegemony and a redistribution of global power among multiple actors. The Chinese economy has expanded, approaching the size of the European Union’s economy and two-thirds that of the United States. China has emerged as a formidable technological leader; within just a few years, it has doubled the size of its nuclear arsenal while meticulously refining its conventional military capabilities. Meanwhile, the Russian-Ukrainian War has demonstrated Russia’s readiness to wage war, even to redraw borders, in defense of its national interests as a global power. 

Furthermore, the BRICS bloc has expanded to include additional nations, thereby bolstering a system that stands in direct competition with the prevailing Western-led order. Concurrently, the number of global middle powers has risen at a remarkably steady pace, whether in the economic, political, or even military spheres, marking a series of shifts that further accelerate the transition toward a multipolar world. Standing in opposition to these transformations, the United States is 

actively seeking to undermine them in an effort to preserve its global supremacy. Indeed, the policies pursued by Donald Trump since assuming office, ranging from imposing steep tariffs on both allies and adversaries, to reducing the military reliance of Western allies on Washington, and even attempting to seize control of Venezuela and Greenland by force, may well represent his strategy for demonstrating that the global order remains firmly anchored in absolute American unipolarity.

Yet, does Washington truly grasp that its ongoing strategic attrition in a peripheral conflict with Iran, pursued largely to serve the objectives and ambitions of Benjamin Netanyahu is, in fact, depleting the very capabilities it requires to confront its true peer competitors, most notably China and Russia, in the super power competition that lies ahead?

Yet, does Washington truly grasp that its ongoing strategic attrition in a peripheral conflict with Iran, pursued largely to serve the objectives and ambitions of Benjamin Netanyahu is, in fact, depleting the very capabilities it requires to confront its true peer competitors, most notably China and Russia, in the super power competition that lies ahead?

Israel is regarded as the primary architect of the current war against Iran, a conflict it is waging at minimal cost thanks to its partnership with Washington. Opinion polls in Israel reveal substantial majority support for a war against Iran, provided it is conducted within the framework of this partnership with Washington; however, such support diminishes significantly if Israel were to launch a war against Iran unilaterally. Israel believes that the current moment and circumstances are opportune for exploiting Iran’s vulnerability in order to neutralize it, particularly in the wake of the Gaza War and the weakening of Hezbollah in Lebanon, thereby reshaping the landscape of the Middle East and the region’s alliances. This strategy is also driven by Netanyahu’s domestic ambitions, specifically those linked to upcoming elections and the retention of power.

READ: US-Israeli attack on Iran pushed region toward critical breaking point: UN chief

On the other hand, Washington is waging a war against Iran without offering a politically or militarily compelling domestic justification, without support from Congress, without backing from the American........

© Middle East Monitor