The latest Israel-Hamas war has already sent shockwaves through the Middle East and beyond. Clashes have flared along Israel’s border with Lebanon; U.S. President Joe Biden has made urgent pleas for a major U.S. aid package to Israel; Russia has been able to wage its war in Ukraine with less global scrutiny.
This edition of Flash Points considers how the war has affected—and may continue to affect—countries around the world, as well as the global order itself.
Chinese President Xi Jinping accompanies Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during a welcoming ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 6, 2013.Feng Li/Getty Images
The Israel-Hamas War Is Testing China’s Diplomatic Strategy
Beijing’s “pro-Palestinian neutrality” could help in mediating the conflict, Lili Pike writes.
Abed al-Hafeez Nofal, the Palestinian ambassador to Russia, and exiled Hamas deputy leader Mousa Abu Marzook give a press conference along with other representatives of Palestinian political parties and movements in Moscow on Jan. 17, 2017.Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images
Where Does Russia Stand on the Israel-Hamas War?
Moscow may temporarily profit from the West’s focus on the Middle East, but navigating its ties in the region will be tricky, Hanna Notte writes.
(L to R) Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi; Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman al-Khalifa; U.S. President Joe Biden; Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman; Jordan’s King Abdullah II; Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani; and Kuwait’s Crown Prince Meshal al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah during the Jeddah Security and Development Summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on July 16, 2022. Mandel Ngan/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The End of Biden’s Middle East Mirage
The administration’s regional security concept has collapsed, Matthew Duss writes. Does the president know it?
A Lebanese woman protester walks draped in a national flag along the Fuad Chehab avenue, near the Martyrs’ Square, in the centre of the capital Beirut on October 29, 2019 on the 13th day of anti-government protests. Joseph Eid/AFP via Getty Images
Lebanon Knows It Is on the Edge of the Abyss
The war in Gaza could soon spread to a country that can’t afford it in any way, FP’s Anchal Vohra writes.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds a news conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (not seen) following their meeting in Ramallah, West Bank, on Feb. 10, 2018. Issam Rimawi/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Modi’s Comments on Israel-Gaza War Signal Shift
Forthrightly expressing solidarity with Israel, India steps away from a long-held approach toward the Palestinians, FP’s Sumit Ganguly and Nicolas Blarel write.