Orientul Mijlociu

Abstract: The spectre of a U.S.-Iran war is haunting the world. However, it is still less likely than many think. For its part, Tehran is aware that it lacks the military capabilities and financial resources to endure a direct military confrontation with the United States. Engaging in a full-scale war with Iran would also be catastrophic for the U.S. At a time when there is a need to focus on the competition with Russia and the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a direct war with Iran would reduce Washington’s capacity to counter revisionist states’ subversive activities. As such, ‘hybrid warfare’ still fits better into both sides’ cost-benefit calculus.

The creator of the concept of U.S. Sea power, Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan, primarily insisted on creating a strong naval force to ensure safe shipping around the world and prevent enemies from approaching the borders of the United States. In the twentieth century, especially after World War II, the situation changed and since then Washington had intended to control other regions through the permanent presence of its military bases there.

Idlib sees daily protests predominantly led by women from Hizb ut-Tahrir, many of whom are relatives of detainees

A few meters away from the Book Fair in Idlib, which is being leveraged by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) to improve its image and promote its institutions, the city witnessed protests by hundreds of demonstrators on the evening of Tuesday, September 10, 2024. HTS responded with repression, using beatings and arrests indiscriminately against both women and men. This led to significant tension and widespread condemnation.

The statement by the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in Syria not only critiques the Iranian regime’s actions but also responds directly to rumours suggesting that the Brotherhood was seeking rapprochement with Tehran. This context is crucial, especially given the Brotherhood’s historical relationship with Hamas, a Palestinian resistance movement with strong ties to both the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran. Hamas, which shares ideological roots with the Brotherhood, has maintained a complex relationship with Tehran, receiving Iranian support for its resistance efforts against Israel. However, this relationship has strained at times, particularly due to Iran’s support for the Assad regime during the Syrian civil war—a regime the Brotherhood vehemently opposes.

As early as December 27, 2023, speaking to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, defense minister Yoav Gallant said: “We are in a multifront war and coming under attack from seven theaters.” He added that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were taking action on six of them.

Dans le monde de la grande politique, la Turquie a l’habitude des manœuvres diplomatiques et des changements opportunistes. Aujourd’hui, le pays tente de prendre sa place dans un monde polycentrique. L’idée d’une adhésion aux BRICS est en train de devenir un marqueur de la diplomatie turque.

Four indicators show trends of engagement, but the region remains immune to sweeping generalizations.

In the collective memories of people across the Middle East and North Africa, great power rivalries have shaped the region’s fate at multiple critical junctures. In the first part of the twentieth century, following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, colonial competition between Britain and France created the modern borders and nation-states of the Middle East. Toward the end of the century and after five Arab-Israeli wars, crucial peace treaties and multilateral negotiations were mediated by great powers, particularly the United States.