The latest clashes involving the US, Israel, and Iran go beyond just another round of Middle East fighting. They shine a harsh light on how shaky the region’s security setup really is — and force Arab leaders to question long-held beliefs they’ve leaned on for years.

For a long time, many Arab states bet heavily on one idea: stay close to Washington, buy lots of Western weapons, and quietly work with Israel. That was supposed to bring lasting calm. After the Abraham Accords, this mix got sold as a bold new path to peace. But honestly, it felt more like a coalition built to box in Iran than true reconciliation.

Now this war is showing the cracks in that plan.

All the military hardware and alliances haven’t delivered real stability. Instead, they’ve left the region even more hooked on outside powers whose goals keep changing.

All the military hardware and alliances haven’t delivered real stability. Instead, they’ve left the region even more hooked on outside powers whose goals keep changing.

The toughest pill to swallow? The United States doesn’t have permanent friends here in any deep sense — it has interests that shift with the wind.

Look at the track record: America pulled out of Afghanistan after two decades, almost overnight in the eyes of many partners. Or remember the 2019 drone and missile strikes on Saudi oil facilities at Abqaiq and  HYPERLINK “https://www.bakerinstitute.org/research/us-response-attacks-persian-gulf-oil-infrastructure”Khurais — the response from Washington was pretty measured. Time........

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