President Biden’s final UN speech of his political career coincides with perhaps the least effective period in American diplomacy. Since October 7, the Biden administration has stood by as Israel’s actions have severely damaged American diplomatic credibility in the eyes of the “international community.”

Israel's cyber-attacks spark a regional war, threatening stability and drawing in global powers

Israel's latest covert operations, indiscriminately targeting both soldiers and civilians, have now been directed at Hezbollah. In a coordinated attack, Israel detonated devices placed in the pagers and radios of thousands of Hezbollah members, a move that could be studied in intelligence courses for its precision. Previously, Israel’s assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran had exposed a major security flaw in Iran. This new operation, injuring thousands of Hezbollah members, now reveals significant security vulnerabilities within Hezbollah itself. If Hezbollah responds to this provocation, which marks Israel’s latest attempt to escalate tensions in the region, war seems inevitable. However, should the U.S. intervene behind the scenes to prevent Hezbollah from engaging Israel, it would signal that Iran is prioritizing a potential post-election deal with the U.S. over immediate conflict.

Israeli policies have an influence on the presence of the U.S. in Cyprus, experts argue, following a new defense cooperation agreement between Washington and the Greek Cypriot administration, which will boost U.S. military and logistical activities in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The developments in the Middle East after Oct. 7 have led to the emergence of a new insecurity wave in the region. A similar situation had been experienced with the onset of the Arab Spring, which altered the strategic environment of the Middle East significantly. Regional actors attempted to move away from the conflicts caused by the Arab Spring through normalization processes that began in 2020 and aimed at creating a new security environment based on cooperation. Now, they find themselves in a new conflictual setting.

On October 7, 2023, the Palestinian group Hamas launched a major attack on Israeli settlements near Gaza. This unexpected operation drew global attention and led to a series of responses from Israeli officials and their allies. Following this event, the Middle East experienced a significant escalation in regional conflicts, particularly involving Hezbollah, a Lebanese group with close ties to Iran.

The Middle East region emerged after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the wake of the first imperialist war. The region was largely shaped by the traditional colonial powers, namely the United Kingdom and France. The colonial powers did not allow Sharif Hussein, a prominent Arab leader best known for leading the Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire during World War I, and his allies to establish a pan-Arabic state, which was promised by the colonial powers in return for Hussein’s support against the Ottoman Empire. Instead of establishing a pan-Arab state, the colonial powers divided the Arab world into many artificial states.

The United Nations was established by the victorious powers of World War II in 1945 to consolidate the allied powers’ international standing and preserve the status quo they created. According to the U.N. Charter, the main purposes of the U.N. are to maintain international peace and security and to achieve international cooperation in solving global problems. The U.N. Security Council (UNSC) has the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. Furthermore, all members of the U.N. agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the UNSC.