The conflict involving Iran, the United States, and Israel is driving a “historic” shift in the political landscape of the Middle East. Political analyst Rami Khouri observes that, by challenging decades of Western hegemony, nations in the region are increasingly taking an active role in determining their own futures.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Khouri noted that the political order established by Western powers nearly a century ago is becoming increasingly obsolete.
He explained that, a century later, the people of the region—primarily Iranians, Arabs, and Turks—are reshaping the Middle East on their own terms and in a more legitimate manner. He added that while the existing system may have benefited Western powers economically, it failed to recognize the rights of the people living in the region.
Khouri pointed out that although Western powers gained economically from the old order, the rights of the Middle Eastern population were never properly acknowledged. Consequently, this system is now being challenged, and it is inevitable that it will eventually undergo some form of transformation.
A crucial aspect of this shift is that, for the first time, the local people of the region are themselves leading the process of change. In Khouri’s words, this is truly a historic development.
He also identified international support for the Palestinians as a significant driving force behind this transformation in the Middle East.
Khouri described the Palestinian struggle as the world’s last—or at least one of the most significant—anti-colonial movements. This, he believes, is why the Palestinian cause continues to generate widespread support and inspiration across the globe.
