With Assad gone and Iran hobbled, the time is ripe for a stable Middle East
Yossi Kuperwasser, a retired Israeli brigadier general and current head of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, charts what he says is a path forward in the region.
By Yossi Kuperwasser on August 12, 2025 1:10 pm
A view of damage at the Syrian General Staff headquarters and nearby buildings following Israeli airstrikes targeting the capital Damascus, Syria on July 17, 2025. (Photo by Izettin Kasim/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The recent demonstration of Israeli and American military prowess in Iran has given rise to a new pathway to regional integration: an incremental progression that starts with security cooperation, moving to economic, technological and civil infrastructure partnerships, and eventually culminating in full normalization.
It may not be the traditional model of diplomacy, exemplified by the Abraham Accords’ approach of formal agreements followed by cooperation. But in a region defined by millennia of confused relationships, why does that need to be the only path forward?
There are two test cases to watch in the region: Syria and Lebanon. First, let’s look at Syria, where the new government under Ahmad al-Sharaa is facing an early credibility test. Ace it, and it could have major impacts on attempts by the big players in the Middle East to replace Iran’s fundamentalist stranglehold on the region with an era of pragmatic stability. Drop the ball, and Syria could find itself once again between a rock and a hard place.
https://breakingdefense.com/2025/08/with-assad-gone-and-iran-hobbled-the-time-is-ripe-for-a-stable-middle-east/
