<p>What might be the long term impact of the Israel-Hamas war on global alliances? In this week’s audio long read, the <em>New Statesman</em>’s contributing writer John Gray reflects on three weeks of bloodshed, beginning with the massacres of 7 October, and their wider consequences. An escalating conflict will empower <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/tag/iran" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Iran</a> and <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/tag/russia" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Russia</a>, he writes, as well as strengthen swing states such as <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/tag/saudi-arabia" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Saudi Arabia</a> and <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/tag/qatar" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Qatar</a>. The United States might abandon <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/world/europe/ukraine" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ukraine</a>, or dilute its commitment to defending <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/tag/taiwan" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Taiwan</a> from China. And with a presidential election on the horizon, does the White House have the stamina for a protracted foreign war?</p><p> </p><p>Already support for both Israel and Palestine has become sorely contested across the West, as Keir Starmer faces pressure from Muslim (and non-Muslim) MPs in the UK, while Emmanuel Macron has banned pro-Palestinian protest. Egypt and Lebanon have said they will not accept Palestinian refugees. For Gray, the events of 7 October mark the point at which the post-Cold War order finally fractured. “We have entered a world of imperial rivalries like that before 1914, which ended in Europe’s suicide in the trenches,” he writes. If America rose to become the global superpower after the second world war, that influence is now coming to an end.</p><br><p>Written by John Gray and read by Melissa Denes.</p><br><p>This article originally appeared in the 27 October-2 November edition of the New Statesman; you can read the text version <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/world/middle-east/2023/10/the-great-unravelling" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>. </p><br><p>If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy listening to <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/podcasts/audio-long-reads/2023/07/the-dawn-of-the-saudi-century" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Dawn of the Saudi Century, by Quinn Slobodian</a>.</p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
