Tehran – West Asia region undergoes significant geopolitical changes that could change traditional electricity structures and lead to the emergence of new alliances.
Elliot Abrams’ article, “The Paradigm Shift in the Middle East,” published on February 7, 2025 on foreign affairs, advocates a US- and Israel-led attack strategy, particularly to counter Iran’s influence. Partnering with the Resistance Group. However, this approach simplifies the complex dynamics of the region, misrepresents the nature of these alliances, and provides a broader historical context that shapes the ongoing struggle for sovereignty and self-determination in West Asia. I can’t explain it.
Abrams reduces Iranian alliances to mere acts of “proxy wars” with groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas and other regional resistance movements, and portrays them as an extension of Iran’s power. This view overlooks the deeper motivations behind these groups and emerges from local resistance to foreign occupations and external interference. For example, Hezbollah was formed in the 1980s in response to Israel’s occupation of South Lebanon, and Hamas was founded as a resistance to Israeli occupation in Palestine. These groups are part of a broader regional movement for national sovereignty and justice.
Painful inheritance of foreign interventions
A central flaw in Abrams’ analysis is his failure to recognize the role played by external interventions in regional instability. For years, US military bases and interventions in countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria have undermined and burned responsiveness.
Abrams praises Israel’s military operations against groups like Hezbollah and Hamas, but this view conveniently ignores the overwhelming power imbalance between Israel and its enemies. With our support, Israeli airstrikes will always result in massive civilian casualties and widespread destruction, particularly in Gaza and Lebanon.
Israel’s military strategy contributes to regional instability by promoting a cycle of violence rather than promoting peace. The continued expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the ongoing blockade of Gaza are key factors in the conflict. Abrams’ praise for Israeli military action is a broader historical part of Israeli invasion, including the occupation of Palestinian territory and the ongoing violation of international law, including the current genocide that has been taking place in Gaza since October 2023. Ignore the context.
A misleading nuclear “threat” story
An important theme in Abrams’ article is the claim that Iran’s nuclear program poses an increasingly threat. However, this argument is based on exaggeration. Iran is still a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and continues to work with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Iran has expanded its nuclear capabilities in response to the US withdrawal from the JCPOA, but there is no conclusive evidence that it is seeking nuclear weapons. More importantly, it was not Iran that disabled the JCPOA.
Meanwhile, one of Iran’s loudest critics, Israel, maintains undeclared nuclear weapons and refuses to sign the NPT. If nuclear proliferation is truly a concern, why does the West ignore Israel’s capabilities while focusing on Iran’s peaceful nuclear program? This double standard undermines the credibility of Western debates on Iran.
The Future of West Asia: The Role of Iran
Abrams’ analysis does not acknowledge Iran’s legitimate role in shaping the future of West Asia. Our time and Israel’s rule are declining, giving way to a more multipolar order. Iran, along with other regional and global authority, is at the heart of this transformation. The expansion of BRICS, the decline of the US, and the resilience of the axis of resistance all demonstrate a changing balance of power.
As Elliot Abrams himself noted, Iran’s evolving partnerships with global authority such as China and Russia have changed its position in the region and reduced US hegemony. This change contributes as a “threat” to the Iranian narrative and may in fact reflect Western unease over the changing dynamics of global power.
Instead of pursuing policies of failed pressure and conflict, the US and its allies should recognize Iran as a major regional actor and engage in serious diplomacy. Continuing hostility only further erodes Western influences in Western Asia.
If Abrams and others really want stability, they must abandon their outdated Cold War thinking and embrace the reality of a more balanced, multipolar region.