Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Eko Ernada
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Iran: China’s quiet hedging strategy in the Middle East
China’s growing engagement with Iran increasingly reveals that Tehran is no longer merely a regional issue confined to Middle Eastern politics. Iran has become part of Beijing’s wider geopolitical calculation in an era shaped by intensifying great-power rivalry and a rapidly shifting global order. Recent meetings between Iranian Foreign Minister…
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Why emerging “peace processes” risk recycling war
Each time diplomacy returns to the Middle East, it promises de-escalation, stability, perhaps even peace. Yet for those in Gaza, such promises have become part of a familiar cycle—violence, pause, and violence again. In the current confrontation involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, the language of peace is once…
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Fragile ceasefire: The illusion of war’s end
The announcement of a ceasefire between the United States, Israel and Iran in April 2026 was widely framed as a moment of de-escalation in one of the most dangerous confrontations in the Middle East in recent years. Yet, a closer examination suggests something far less reassuring. The war may have…
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When power becomes a trap: America’s strategic deadlock in Iran
Power, in theory, expands choices. In practice, it can do the opposite. The stronger a state becomes, the more it risks becoming trapped by the very instruments it relies upon. Nowhere is this paradox more visible than in the United States’ confrontation with Iran—a crisis that exposes not American strength,…
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Iran will not collapse: What the US–Israel War reveals about power in the Middle East
The escalating confrontation between Iran on one side and the United States and Israel on the other is often framed in familiar strategic language: deterrence, nuclear threats and regional security. Israel argues that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear capability is an existential necessity, while Washington portrays its involvement as part…
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Power, justice, and the struggle for order in the Middle East
The escalating confrontation involving the United States, Israel, and Iran is often interpreted through the narrow prism of security threats, nuclear tensions, or immediate military provocations. Such explanations, however, fail to capture the deeper structural dynamics underlying the crisis. What is unfolding in the Middle East today is not merely…
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One Sphere? Not in the Middle East
In his recent Foreign Affairs essay, “There Is Only One Sphere of Influence: Why America Can Project Power With Little Constraint—And Its Rivals Cannot,” Michael Beckley argues that despite the widespread rhetoric of multipolarity, the world remains structurally unipolar. Only the United States, he contends, possesses the capacity to project…
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Board of Peace and the illusion of peace without justice
The inclusion of several non-Western states, including Indonesia, in the newly formed Board of Peace on Gaza has been presented as a constructive diplomatic step toward ending violence and facilitating post-war recovery. Supporters frame the initiative as pragmatic engagement—a way to contribute to humanitarian protection and political stabilisation. Yet beyond…
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Iran’s protests signal systemic crisis, not sudden collapse
For decades, Western commentary has treated protest in Iran as a countdown to regime collapse. Each wave of unrest is framed as the final chapter of the Islamic Republic, each demonstration as proof that the system is about to fall. This narrative has resurfaced once again following the nationwide protests…
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What 2025 revealed about Gaza and the global order
As 2026 begins, the events of the past year demand more than remembrance — they require reckoning. Throughout 2025, Gaza did not simply endure another chapter of devastation; it became the most uncompromising mirror of the contemporary global order. What unfolded over those twelve months was not only sustained violence,…
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When soft power hardens: Gaza, reconstruction and the politics of aid
For decades, Gaza has been viewed primarily through the language of hard power: siege, bombardment, occupation, and overwhelming military asymmetry. Yet in the aftermath of mass destruction, another form of power quietly takes centre stage. This is the power that operates through reconstruction, humanitarian aid, and post-war governance. In today’s…
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Human Rights Day in the age of Gaza
Human Rights Day, commemorated annually on 10 December, is intended to reaffirm the principles of dignity, equality, and universal protection enshrined in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Yet in the age of Gaza, these principles ring hollow. The world marks Human Rights Day with speeches and ceremonies,…
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The illusion of a “New Middle East”: History’s echo in a multipolar age
Every few decades, the phrase “New Middle East” resurfaces like a mirage on the political horizon — shimmering, promising, and always just out of reach. It has been invoked by imperial officials, Cold War strategists and modern technocrats alike. The language changes — from “modernisation” to “stability,” from “peace process”…
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America’s illusions and Gaza’s harsh reality
The United States has long constructed a series of comforting myths around its role in the Middle East, particularly concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. These narratives have helped Washington maintain an image of global dominance and diplomatic prowess. However, as the violence in Gaza continues unabated, these myths are increasingly being…
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The Doha Summit: A symbolic gesture or a call for change?
On 15 September 2025, the Arab-Islamic summit convened in Doha, Qatar, in response to Israel’s airstrikes on Qatar and Gaza, once again highlighting the enduring dynamics of Arab-Israeli diplomacy. Despite expressions of solidarity with Qatar and Palestine, the summit ended with symbolic gestures rather than actions that could influence Israeli…