America Steps Back From the Middle East After Decades of Conflict
· World · Hindustan Times, The Economist
Thirty-five years after the Gulf War raised hopes for American hegemony, the United States is stepping back from its pre-eminent role in the Middle East. The ongoing war between America and Iran, now entering its eighth month, has imposed severe costs on regional allies and exhausted American voters and strategists. U.S. and Qatari-backed diplomats recently held three hours of indirect talks at the UN General Assembly in New York to negotiate an exit from the conflict. While President Donald Trump called the discussions productive, deep divisions remain over whether to revive a short-lived June agreement or negotiate a new accord. No regional power, least of all Arab states, is positioned to fill the resulting geopolitical vacuum.
Why it matters
The retreat of American power leaves a leadership vacuum in the Middle East that directly threatens regional stability, energy security, and trade routes crucial to global economies including India.
Read the original report — Hindustan Times
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