Daily News Analysis

THE HAMAS ATTACK CAN SHAKE THE WEST ASIAN GEOSTRATEGIC ARCHITECTURE

stylish_lining

THE HAMAS ATTACK CAN SHAKE THE WEST ASIAN GEOSTRATEGIC ARCHITECTURE

 

 

Why in the News?

The Hamas operation Toofan Al-Aqsa (Al-Aqsa Flood) on Israel has led to launch of retaliatory full-fledged attacks on Gaza by the latter on a war-mode.

Key takeaways:

  1. From a military perspective, Israel is not under an existential threat because it can push back Hamas which lacks resources to sustain the campaign.
  2. Israel is pushed to revise its strategic doctrines from the experiences of the attach because of:
    1. Intelligence failure of predicting the Hamas attack
    2. Misplaced reliance on hi-tech missile defence and Artificial Intelligence.
  3. The Israel-Hamas conflict can further boost the standing of non-state Arab militias, such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, al-Houthis, Islamic State, various avatars of al-Qaeda, and Al-Shabaab.
  4. Though the conflict could protract it would remain geographically confined as
    1. Hamas and Islamic Jihad have few all-weather supporters.
      1. The only Arab neighbour of Gaza is Egypt has a pro-West military regime.
      2. All the Gulf monarchies (except Qatar) strongly disapprove of Hamas, calling it a political Islamic outfit.
      3. Although Qatar provides generous humanitarian assistance to the Gazans, it doesn’t want to annoy the US.
      4. Turkey, a big regional Sunni power has a bruised economy with a limited outreach and is also trying to reconnect with Israel and the Gulf monarchies.
    2. Palestinian Authority is vertically split between the West Bank run by al-Fatah and Gaza administered by Hamas, which refuses to recognise Israel. 
    3. Young Palestinians are losing trust with the Fatah gerontocracy as it failed to stop Israeli land grabs in the West Bank.
    4. Iran has been creating weapons and ammunition supply line through Sudan and Egypt to Gaza and is trying to replicate the success of Hezbollah-type proto-state in Gaza to threaten Israel.

Consequences on regional politics:

  1. The conflict could include a delay in the rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Israel as Israel would be unwilling to grant the concessions to the Palestinians sought by Saudi.
  2. Iran can feel emboldened by its arch-enemy being in mortal combat.
  3. Protracted regional turbulence can lead to indirect effects on India:
    1. Collateral damage through an oil price rise
    2. Impact on Indian diaspora
    3. Dim the prospects for India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor and other I2U2 constructs.

Maharashtra Scraps Hindi as Compulsory Third Language

The Maharashtra government recently scrapped its Government Resolutions (GRs) that mandated Hindi as a compulsory third language from Grades 1 to 5 in Marathi and English medium schools. While the
Share It

River Pollution in India

The Delhi government's focus on cleaning up the Yamuna River is part of a larger national effort to rejuvenate the Ganga River and its tributaries, in alignment with the Namami Gange Programme
Share It

Infrastructure Failures

The recent collapse of the Mahisagar River Bridge in Vadodara, which tragically claimed the lives of 20 people, underscores the growing concern over India's infrastructure quality. Similar
Share It

Special Intensive Revision (SIR)

The Supreme Court (SC) is currently reviewing the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) process for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, suggesting that Aadhaar,
Share It

GM Crop

In ongoing trade talks, the United States is advocating for India to open its agriculture market to genetically modified (GM) crops. However, India has firmly rejected this proposal, citing concer
Share It

India-Brazil Relations

India and Brazil share a growing and dynamic bilateral relationship that has evolved across various sectors since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1948. Their Strategic Partnership, formali
Share It

Legislative Productivity

The Lok Sabha Speaker’s remarks about the need to enhance legislative productivity reflect growing concerns about the diminishing effectiveness of India’s legislative bodies. The chall
Share It

Economic Growth

India's rapid urbanization is set to dramatically shape its future. The transformation of its cities holds immense potential for economic growth, but it also brings significant challenges. As
Share It

Global South

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Brazil from July 2-9, 2025, for the BRICS summit, was not only his longest international visit in 11 years but also marked a significant diplomatic outr
Share It

Maharashtra’s Special Public Security Bill, 2024

The Maharashtra Assembly has recently passed the Special Public Security Bill, 2024, aimed at combating “urban Maoism” and left-wing extremism in the state. The Bill criminalizes activ
Share It

Newsletter Subscription


ACQ IAS
ACQ IAS