FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
That doesn't mean we're headed for a third world war, but frighteningly, it doesn't mean we're not headed for it either.
Of course, the times we live in are extremely dangerous, and the killing of three American troops in Jordan has increased the likelihood that the crisis in the Middle East will deepen significantly.
But how it would escalate into a larger regional conflict, and then into a wider war, is the question that everyone is trying to answer.
This is certainly a fear, and it is not entirely unrealistic. Historians have studied and debated the events leading up to World War I, and through this hindsight lens we can now see how it began.
But at the time it was not easy to foresee how a localized event would set off a chain reaction that would lead to the industrial and mechanical slaughter of entire generations. And the caveats are here in this period - there is great global uncertainty and the period of clear US power is over.
The spark for the next major global conflict may turn out to be the events of October 7. Four months later, the theater of war is widening, with the US and its allies drawn deeper into the region.
Washington's impulse after the Hamas attack was to provide Israel with clear support, but also to do everything it could to contain the fires that the attack started - what we are seeing now are the limitations of that policy.
Iran's allies and proxies have not been intimidated by the large US show of force in the region, instead, warships and aircraft carriers have acted as a magnet for attack.
The question now, and what will decide whether this war expands further, is how the US can restore its deterrence after the latest attack on its base in Jordan without exacerbating the already very delicate situation.
Really, there are no really good choices.
A direct attack on Iran would be one way, but that could also open Pandora's box. And we have already seen how little retaliatory attacks against the Houthis in Yemen have achieved.
This whole situation, of course, comes at a time when Russia is at war with Ukraine (and the West) and China is increasing its stance towards Taiwan.
This does not mean that we are heading towards a third world war, but frighteningly, it does not mean that we are not heading towards it either./ SkyNews
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