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The current U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq adds another layer of uncertainty to an already fragile regional security environment in West Asia. Such transitions inevitably create openings that different actors may seek to test or exploit.
The US-led Western war on terror toppled the Taliban regime in 2001, but continued for two decades. The United States reportedly spent $2 trillion on the war effort and lost 2,400 American troops.
Israel’s accelerating drive toward a biblical 'Greater Israel' is not a deviation but the culmination of decades of creeping annexation and global indulgence.
The task is not to choose between deterrence and dialogue, nor between international partnerships and regional agency. A stable regional order is likely to require all of these elements.
