Two nations widely vilified in global discourse, The US and Israel, are now pushing back against a system that rewarded paralysis and appeasement for far too long.
Since the Hamas October 7, 2023 massacres, Israel has moved decisively to do what its leadership has openly stated for years: change the strategic reality of the Middle East. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been clear that managing threats is no longer enough. They must be dismantled.
Quietly — and often silently — this shift is welcomed across the region. Many Middle Eastern societies live in fear of extremist Islamist forces that have embedded themselves inside sovereign states, largely with Iranian backing. Lebanese, Iraqis, Yemenis, Syrians, Turks and Iranians are exhausted by proxy armies that operate above the law and hold their countries hostage. The fear is so deep that even naming the problem publicly can be dangerous.
The same pattern appears well beyond the Middle East. Nations such as Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Tibet — alongside large parts of Africa — have fallen under tyrants who survive not because their people support them, but because powerful patrons keep them afloat. In many cases, those patrons are Russia or China, shielding corruption and repression for strategic gain.
