Middle East Conflict: The Specter of an Endless War and Global Repercussions

Middle East - Ekhbary News Agency

Middle East Conflict: The Specter of an Endless War and Global Repercussions

The international community is grappling with the pervasive question of how to extricate itself from the spiraling conflict in the Middle East, particularly concerning Iran, amidst a conspicuous absence of clear resolution strategies. Despite former U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated assertions that the conflict would soon conclude, analyses from leading global newspapers paint a far more complex and alarming picture. The New York Times, for instance, expresses profound skepticism, stating that the American president "has no idea how to end the war against Iran."

The American daily questions the efficacy of a strategy reliant on incessant bombing and the destruction of military and civilian infrastructure, predicated on the hope that democracy-seeking Iranians will unite and overthrow the entrenched, deadly regime on their own. The New York Times points out that historical precedents offer no successful examples of such a strategy, emphasizing that the Iranian regime would only collapse from within, a process that could only commence after a ceasefire. The paper suggests that the best outcome achievable from Trump and Netanyahu's massive bombing campaign is to initiate this internal process. Even merely steering the Iranian power structure towards a more favorable path, where it poses a lesser threat to its own population and neighbors, would constitute a considerable success. The worst-case scenario, according to the Times, would be to devastate Iran through relentless aerial bombardments to the point of rendering it ungovernable, a catastrophe with incalculable consequences.

In Madrid, El País echoes these concerns, interrogating the true plan of those who initiated this war, especially as the totalitarian Iranian regime prepares for resistance and the global economy trembles at a conflict whose duration, regardless of its length, already impacts citizens' purchasing power. The Spanish newspaper criticizes the narrative that everything will soon return to normal, that economic damages are minimal compared to future benefits, and that "only fools could think otherwise." El País concludes that Trump's strategy boils down to "promises and insults."

Libération in Paris further elaborates on the broader implications, noting that "beyond Iran, the mechanism has spiraled out of control." The price of a barrel of oil has symbolically crossed the $100 mark, causing global alarm. In the United States, public opinion struggles to comprehend why soldiers should – once again – be sent to die in a distant war. Positions are hardening, with no clear end in sight for this new American adventure in the Middle East. The newspaper asserts that "the earthquake triggered in Tehran on February 28th has not finished shaking the planet." And even if Donald Trump assures that the rise in oil prices and other consequences are merely a "very small price to pay for peace and security," Libération remains unconvinced that everyone – Americans first and foremost – is willing to pay that bill for very long.

"Only one thing is certain" in this war, emphasizes Süddeutsche Zeitung: "gasoline will be more expensive." In the United States, rising oil prices are a major political issue heading into the midterm elections this autumn. The German paper implies that Trump, following the invasion of oil-rich Venezuela and considering his campaign slogan "Drill, baby, drill!" (translated as "Forons, forons, forons!"), had not anticipated that bombing Iran would trigger such a significant oil and financial crisis, in addition to the suffering endured by the populations.

And what of France in all this? Economically, Le Figaro points out that "the hour of reckoning has not yet come, but the war in Iran painfully reminds France of its great weaknesses." These include its persistent excessive dependence on fossil fuels and, crucially, its significant financial fragility. Without wishing to sound like Cassandra, it already appears that France will not emerge unscathed from this crisis.

Internationally, French President Emmanuel Macron, who was recently in Cyprus and aboard the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, declared, "This war is not ours." However, La Croix notes that it "nevertheless poses threats to important French interests": the security of European Union countries; freedom of maritime navigation; the security of three Gulf states (Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates), which France has pledged to support; and the protection of French nationals in the region. La Croix explains that to fulfill its self-assigned responsibilities, France is adopting an offensive posture in its defensive actions. However, the newspaper cautions that France risks belligerents, particularly Iran, misunderstanding this "combative neutrality," raising the real danger that the war could engulf it.

Ekhbary News Agency