Drums of War Grow Louder in the Middle East

With each day that passes, the U.S. seems to be moving inexorably closer to a widening global conflict.

On May 10, 2021, at 6:03 pm, a barrage of rockets was fired toward Jerusalem by terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip. Over the next 12 days, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) fired more than 4,000 rockets at Israel. Approximately 680 of these rockets misfired and fell inside the Gaza Strip, causing Palestinian casualties. The Israel Defense Forces is devoted to the protection of civilians. (Photo: Israel Defense Forces)

“Is the United States Creating a ‘Legion of Doom?’” wondered POLITICO in March, noting that “The emerging China-Russia-Iran axis may force the United States to choose between some unappealing options.”

Perhaps belatedly, it is dawning on some foreign policy experts and world leaders that the U.S. is finding itself increasingly at odds with some of the more difficult players on the geopolitical superchess board.

Since the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel by the forces of Hamas, some of the world’s most dangerous ticking time bombs — namely Iran and Russia — have been ticking closer to disaster.

Backing Ukraine in its struggle against Russian aggression has already come at a hefty price, the full cost of which has yet to be determined. Europe, especially nations like Germany, has already experienced higher fuel costs and skyrocketing inflation.

What U.S. President Joe Biden once unsuccessfully tried to brand “Putin’s Price Hike” was the result of many geopolitical factors, not least of which was European over-dependence on cheap Russian gas and coal.

Since invading Ukraine, and especially since October 7, Russia and Iran have been growing…