Today's Edition
ABDULLAH AL HASHEMI*
Not every war begins with a missile, and not every defeat is measured by the fall of cities. Sometimes, the true defeat begins when the world clearly sees the danger and then chooses silence.
When interests become a cover for fear, threatening the security of nations becomes normalised, as though humanity has grown accustomed to managing crises instead of preventing them. And that is precisely what is happening in the Gulf today.
The region is not merely experiencing temporary political tension, but rather an open confrontation between Iran on one side and the United States and Israel on the other — a conflict threatening Gulf security and the stability of the global economy as a whole.
Yet the world stands hesitant, watching the escalation as though it were a distant matter, despite the fact that any disruption in the Gulf inevitably means disruption to energy supplies, markets and international trade.
The Gulf states, foremost among them the UAE, have never sought war, but have instead worked to preserve stability and avoid escalation. Nevertheless, Iran has not hesitated to threaten Gulf security, target civilian facilities and undermine maritime and energy security, taking advantage of international hesitation and the weak political will among many major powers.
Iran today is not acting like a state seeking political balance, but rather as an expansionist project relying on missiles, drones, armed proxies and sleeper cells to impose its influence across several Arab countries.
More dangerously, this project grows bolder whenever it senses that the world is either incapable of responding or afraid of confrontation.
When US President Donald Trump called for a firmer stance and international alliances to protect navigation routes and deter threats, European hesitation became glaringly apparent.
Some Western countries want the United States to remain the world’s permanent military guardian, while limiting themselves to issuing statements of concern - despite being among the first to suffer from disruptions to energy supplies and the global economy.
At the same time, those same countries express concern whenever Washington discusses reducing its military presence, even though they themselves have not fully carried their own defence responsibilities within NATO. It is as though protecting the West has become a permanent American obligation, while others limit themselves to political commentary.
But the more dangerous question is this: what if Iran were to acquire a nuclear weapon? And what if it regained access to frozen assets and vast financial resources? Anyone observing its current behaviour understands that increased power or resources would not necessarily lead to de-escalation, but could instead mean the production of more destructive weapons and the financing of additional proxy groups and organisations threatening the stability of the region and the world.
The problem is not merely the weapon itself, but the nature of the project behind it. Over the past decades, Iran has not used its influence to build regional stability, but rather to turn several Arab countries into arenas of conflict and chaos through interference and support for armed groups.
The gravest threat facing the world today is not only missiles and drones, but international hesitation that gives expansionist projects the impression they can continue without paying real price. History teaches us that ignoring danger does not eliminate it — it merely gives it more time to grow.
For this reason, the Gulf states and the wider Arab world must understand that security is not granted, but built through strength, readiness and unity. Because the world that watches the targeting of the Gulf today may discover tomorrow that the fire it believed was distant has become far closer than it ever imagined.
*The writer is a retired Major General Pilot from the UAE Air Force
