Iran relies on oil sales to China for nearly 90% of its export revenue, funding its nuclear and missile programs. The U.S. must crack down on the “Axis of Evasion,” using secondary sanctions and diplomatic pressure to cut off this financial lifeline.
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Beijing’s influence grows when regional dynamics offer easy wins but reverses quickly during instability. With no core interests at stake and foreign policy a lower priority, China adopts a passive approach, unable to shape events when diplomatic statements prove insufficient.
This interpretation of Staatsräson has muted Germany’s response to Israeli war crimes and blocked EU sanctions, undermining Europe’s credibility. Berlin’s decisive vote could enable measures to pressure Israel, reinforcing EU strategic agency instead of sabotaging it.
Despite security reforms and bureaucratic rebuilding, public trust remains fragile. Success now hinges on delivering economic improvement, drafting an inclusive constitution, and fostering local reconciliation to address deep societal fractures and consolidate the post-Assad state.
The system is consuming itself as the U.S. discards the legitimizing frameworks that once amplified its power. This unconstrained unilateralism prompts allies to hedge and rivals to harden, accelerating global fragmentation rather than consolidating American dominance.
Beijing views Iran through a lens of systemic stability, not alliance. Analysts see protests as manageable and a wider war as catastrophic but inevitable. China’s response will be calculated diplomatic and economic engagement, avoiding military entanglement.
While symbolic, recognition bolsters Palestinian diplomatic standing and challenges Israeli legitimacy globally. It reflects a shifting world order where Western powers are beginning to align with Global South demands for justice and political reform.
The government’s power rests on a coercive state apparatus and Western allies’ reluctance to act, given Turkey’s geopolitical value. However, large-scale societal mobilization is the critical force that could fracture regime loyalty and force a democratic course correction.
The author contends that Trump’s rival peace body overlooks the UN’s proven history of mediating conflicts like Suez and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Forgetting these lessons risks a return to uncontrolled escalation in an era of rising great-power tensions.
Friedman sees parallels between Trump’s divisive immigration tactics in Minneapolis and Netanyahu’s strategy in Gaza. He warns both leaders endanger democracy by fueling conflict to win elections, rather than uniting their nations.