Unwarranted Escalation

In the past couple of days, the war clouds in West Asia—always gloomy—have darkened dangerously.

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Israel and Iran—two longstanding adversaries—have exchanged direct strikes for three consecutive days, and things are not getting any better. The battle between the two nations is no longer about shadow war fought by proxies, covert operations, or tit-for-tat sabotage. An overt confrontation at an unprecedented scale is looming on the geopolitical horizon. Both the nations, as is known, are armed with considerable capabilities and nuclear aspirations. What is even more troubling is that both the nations operate around the fulcrum called the United States—one being a perennial ally and the other a staunch enemy.