The Gulf escalation in the Philippines

The Middle East no longer suffers from isolated crises. In the interconnected system, the effects increasingly extend into global energy, trade, inflation and growth, as evidenced by the Philippines. THE present escalation is not simply the product of another battlefield event. It reflects the collapse of the old containment model: limited strikes, temporary ceasefires and diplomatic pauses without political settlement. Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Iran and the Gulf have become interconnected theaters. The direct US-Israeli confrontation with Iran has further transformed the strategic environment. The central driver is strategic exhaustion. Israel has been unable to translate military superiority into…