China Eyes Arctic 'Ice Silk Road' to Bypass Chokepoints

The Mecca Agreement could mark the beginning of the biggest shift in Middle Eastern security since the Gulf War, with Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Pakistan laying the foundations of a regional order no longer built around American military guarantees.

Europe faces growing pressure to build an autonomous defense capability, learning from Ukraine’s battlefield innovations and Türkiye’s defense-industrial model as U.S. security guarantees and strategic priorities increasingly diverge from Europe’s own.

The war launched against Iran by the United States–Israel duo has entered its first week. Despite overwhelming firepower, Iran expanded the conflict and destroyed seven U.S. radar bases. Markets remain moderate but Gulf oil and LNG production is disrupted, raising economic risks.

The preemptive attacks on Iran’s leadership and military infrastructure by Trump and Netanyahu have reshaped regional dynamics. Israel aims to remove threats, Iran seeks survival, Gulf states balance security with economic goals, and Trump pursues political advantage.

Türkiye, strategic location, a professional army of over 400,000 rapidly expanding defence industries, and a growing autonomous military capability, is converging with the UK on defence and national security as both face Russia’s war in Ukraine and uncertainty over US commitment.

Over the past year, Iran has exposed both the reach and the limits of U.S. power: from “shock and awe” strikes that made Tehran blink, to Washington’s muted response as an existential uprising was crushed, revealing Trump’s preference for easy wins over costly confrontations.