Wars rarely leave the world as they found it. They alter not only borders and alliances but also the way power itself is understood. The recent conflict involving Israel, Iran and the United States may eventually be remembered less for its military exchanges than for what it revealed about an international order already in transition.

For nearly two years after the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, the Middle East appeared to be moving towards a new strategic reality. Israel's military campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon, repeated strikes in Syria and its direct confrontation with Iran projected an image of overwhelming military dominance. Across the Arab and Muslim world, fears grew that the balance of power had tilted decisively in Israel's favour. The phrase "Greater Israel", long confined to ideological debates among sections of Israel's religious-nationalist right, re-entered mainstream political discourse. While Israel has never adopted such a vision as official state policy, the rhetoric of influential ministers such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich - both supporters of expanding settlements and opponents of Palestinian statehood - deepened regional anxieties that military success might eventually translate into permanent political transformation.

Yet the ceasefire with Iran told a different story.

It demonstrated that even overwhelming military superiority has........

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