Since the Iraq War, the Middle East has essentially been orderless—there
is no single dominant power or combination of states that can establish
and sustain a new balance. This is
precisely why it is experiencing so much instability and violence: the
absence of a clear order draws all major powers into a fierce
competition to define the new equilibrium. This is also why Israel and
Saudi Arabia have found common cause against Iran and why they have been
pushing the United States to take military action against Iran.
Riyadh’s aim is to drag the United States back into the Middle East, tilting the balance back to Israel and Saudi Arabia.
