Editor,
A high stakes game is currently at play in the Middle East, with the death of Hassan Nasrallah, a one-time charismatic political leader of Hezbollah or ‘Party of God’. It would definitely change the Middle Eastern geopolitical chessboard. Russia has condemned the attack, terming it as ‘political assassination’.
History is definitely unforgiving in this region. Joint operations in the past between Mossad and Shin Bet, with constant help from Washington have nailed down strong figureheads like Yahya Ayyash, known as ‘Engineer’ to Imad Mughniyah. The Iranians were dealt a body blow from the death of its top Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr earlier this year. The constant bombardment of the Middle East has displaced tens of thousands of people, affecting many women and children, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
What implications will this have in the Arab world? Ali Soufan, a former FBI agent and CEO of Soufan Group, in a report ‘Foreign Fighters in Syria’ exposure to radicalising literature or social media content have influenced many from Iran, Somalia, Bangladesh to take part in such conflicts. Repercussions in the current Israel-Palestine theatre can ignite the ideological fuse as next-door neighbour Bangladesh with its unstable governance can pose a threat on an economic and religious scale for Indian interests.
Former BBC’s Middle East Bureau Chief Paul Danahar’s book ‘The New Middle East’ weaves a 360 picture about the past, present and future of this volatile region and which players define the power politics.
Christopher Gatphoh
Laitkor Rngi, Shillong-10
