The raging war on Gaza, which lasted for more than 7 months, constitutes a dramatic axis in the international and regional power shifts. The United States, driven by its support for Israeli occupation and its long-term aspirations, rushed to push forward a vision to re-establish its dominance over the Middle East. Other Western countries, influenced by American orientations and affected by subservience, utilized their media, political, and military capabilities to bolster the occupation and attempt to regain Western hegemony, which is crumbling on the international stage.
However, despite Israeli claims about its legendary and strongest military in the region, and with generous Western military support, it only incurred losses against the resistance. It failed to achieve any of its set goals, neither in retrieving its captives nor in extinguishing the spark of Palestinian resistance, which inflicted unprecedented losses upon it. The resistance not only inflicted material losses on the occupation but also managed to shake off the false narratives about Israel as a “victim,” revealing it as a colonial and brutal entity, supported by Western regimes and adopting colonial and racist policies.
The American empire, the biggest supporter of the occupation, also suffered losses. Internationally, Washington was already facing the repercussions of the failure of sanctions against Russia and the rise of China. Today, it finds itself facing broader repercussions from the “Al-Aqsa Storm.” Internally, major universities in the United States and around the world are showing increasing solidarity with the Palestinian cause. Accusations of “antisemitism” are no longer effective in suppressing voices advocating for Palestinian rights, indicating a potential future shift in the discourse on the issue. This is not an exaggeration; years and millions of dollars failed to entrench Zionist lies in the minds of students at top American universities, and today they are risking their professional lives for Palestine.
Now, after all of this, Washington is trying to salvage what it can of its scattered dominance. The same administration that refused to negotiate with the resistance is now attempting to sit at the negotiation table, trying to find a way out after more than 7 months of waging war with nothing but losses. Despite unlimited military and political support, the Israeli occupation army failed to achieve any goal and continues to flounder in the field, draining its forces. Meanwhile, the international isolation of the occupation is rapidly evolving, reminiscent of a similar trajectory that led to the collapse of the apartheid regime in South Africa in 1994.
The NATO alliance, the main supporter of Tel Aviv, is experiencing moments of confusion and hesitation in its attempt to find a way out that preserves its dominance and avoids admitting defeat or failure. This situation comes at a time when challenges to the global order are tangible, as the unipolar world system witnesses clear rifts and growing political will in countries across continents like Africa and Latin America to rid themselves of old and new colonial influences.
In the same context, NATO is losing part of its influence in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine against Russia, a conflict at the heart of Eastern Europe. At the same time, China continues to enhance its military and economic capabilities, taking calculated steps to consolidate its regional dominance, including control over Taiwan and deepening its dominance over the South China Sea.
What complicates matters further for the West are the escalating economic crises and high debt levels, which seem to be nearing a breaking point, despite ongoing attempts to patch these crises and delay potential consequences. These dynamics complicate NATO’s position and may push it towards facing multiple crises that could fundamentally affect its future impact and role in the new international order. Historically, empires that dominated the world for centuries saw a decline in their influence due to the decline of their economic power, negatively impacting their military and political capabilities. The American empire will not be an exception to this historical trajectory.
