It signals the crystallisation of a new geopolitical struggle reminiscent of the 19th-century Great Game, now transposed onto the strategic landscape of the Middle East.
For the record, the 19th-century Great Game refers to the British and Russian empires over certain countries in Central Asia.
Coming to recent happenings, the coordinated US-Israeli strikes on Iranian military infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and command networks represent a decisive shift from shadow warfare and proxy contests to overt state-to-state confrontation.
According to analysis published by the Atlantic Council, the operation reflects a calculated attempt to reset deterrence, degrade Iran’s escalation ladder, and...