Titolo completo

New (Dis)Orders in the Mediterranean: Regional Dynamics

The 7 October attacks recentred the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But the attacks were also a watershed moment for the wider Middle East, pushing the region towards the climax of two decades of confrontation unleashed by the US invasion of Iraq. Israel responded to the attacks by going on the offensive against Iran and its allies, fundamentally weakening Tehran’s influence. This US-backed response was welcomed by regional states as an opportunity to address Iran’s destructive influence, but this position has turned into deep concern amid ongoing escalation. Israeli belligerence – which crossed a threshold with the September attack on Qatar – is reordering regional threat perceptions with Israel now assuming the role of lead destabiliser.

Paper produced in the framework of the “Strategy Group on New (Dis)Orders in the Mediterranean”, a project jointly led by IAI and the School of Advanced International Studies.