[News] The Gaza genocide and the unravelling of US hegemony

[Anti-Imperialist News]

 The Gaza genocide and the unravelling of US hegemony
By Nasim Ahmed <https://english.palinfo.com/?p=250817>

Monday 17-February-2025 -
https://english.palinfo.com/opinion_articles/the-gaza-genocide-and-the-unravelling-of-us-hegemony/

Israel’s war on Gaza has shattered whatever illusions remained about the
strength of US hegemony in the Middle East. The essays in a recent study
“Debating American Primacy in the Middle East” brings into sharp focus the
extent to which the US funded Israeli genocide in Gaza has accelerated
global shifts in power, exposing the limits of Washington’s influence and
leaving a vacuum that other actors are eagerly filling. The past 16 months,
argue the authors, have not only exposed deep fractures in US alliances but
also demonstrated the sheer exhaustion of the post-World War II order that
once allowed America to dictate the region’s future. What was once an
uncontested US-led system is now riddled with challenges from regional and
global actors who are increasingly willing to defy American dictates.

According to the study, US primacy in the Middle East has never rested on
military force alone. Its dominance was built on a mix of coercion,
economic leverage, and the carefully maintained illusion of a liberal
international order—one supposedly grounded in rules, institutions and
multilateral diplomacy. But Israel’s aggression in Gaza has stripped away
this façade, exposing a glaring double standard. The US, which has long
positioned itself as a global defender of democracy and human rights, has
instead found itself justifying and enabling an ally engaged in actions
that violate the very principles it claims to uphold. The International
Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling that Israel’s actions plausibly constitute
genocide has put Washington in a position of unprecedented moral and
political isolation. Rather than reassess its stance, the US has blocked
ceasefire resolutions at the UN and continued to supply weapons,
demonstrating that its commitment to “rules-based order” applies only when
it serves American interests.

For decades, Washington’s closest Arab allies — Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan
and the UAE — have maintained their alignment with the US in exchange for
security guarantees. But, as the study details, this arrangement is
becoming harder to sustain. The assault on Gaza has ignited public anger
across the Arab world at a level not seen since the early days of the Arab
Spring, forcing even the most US-aligned governments to reconsider their
positions. Jordan, historically one of America’s most reliable partners,
took the extraordinary step of supporting the ICJ case against Israel.
Saudi Arabia, which had been moving towards normalizing ties with Israel
under US mediation, has now been forced to shelve those plans indefinitely.
The authors of the study argue that the US, once seen as the key regional
power broker, is rapidly losing credibility as a mediator, let alone a
hegemon.

One of the most striking points made in the study is the extent to which
Washington’s commitment to Israel’s security has transformed from a
strategic calculation into an ideological fixation — one that no longer
serves even Israel’s interests. Far from ensuring its long-term security,
US support has helped push Israel into deeper isolation. Since 7 October
2023, Israel has framed its assault on Gaza as an existential fight, but
rather than eliminating Hamas, the war has instead made Gaza a global
symbol of Western hypocrisy, strengthened resistance movements across the
region and increased instability.

The study also points to the impact on America’s traditional alliances in
Europe. While European governments have largely followed Washington’s lead
in backing Israel, public opinion has shifted dramatically. The scale of
destruction in Gaza has mobilized widespread protests and forced European
leaders — many of whom have historically been staunchly pro-Israel — to
adopt a more critical tone. This marks a significant break from previous
US-European relations. For decades, the transatlantic alliance has been a
key pillar of US global primacy, yet the study argues that Washington’s
handling of Gaza has shown that it can no longer rely on automatic European
backing. The Biden administration’s failure to secure a ceasefire despite
months of mounting pressure has exposed the limits of its influence, not
just over Israel but over its own allies.

Beyond the immediate diplomatic fallout, the study suggests that the
broader consequences of this moment will reshape global power structures.
The US dollar’s dominance in global trade and the influence of American-led
financial institutions are already being challenged, with countries
actively seeking ways to reduce their economic dependence on Washington.
The BRICS alliance, which includes China, Russia and key Global South
economies, is gaining momentum, with several Middle Eastern states
expressing interest in closer ties. The study argues that if US primacy
means unconditional support for Israel at any cost, then alternative global
alignments will only become more attractive.

What emerges from this analysis is not the immediate collapse of US
hegemony, but its gradual and highly visible erosion. The US remains a
powerful actor, but the study makes it clear that Washington can no longer
dictate terms as it once did. Arab states that were once deeply embedded in
the American security architecture are actively diversifying their
partnerships, strengthening ties with China, Russia and even Iran. The
security arrangements that underpinned US dominance in the region for
decades are now being renegotiated, with Washington struggling to keep up.

Perhaps nowhere is this shift more apparent than in the failure of the
Abraham Accords to withstand the fallout from Gaza. The accords were
designed to cement Israel’s integration into a US-backed regional order,
but the ongoing assault has rendered them meaningless. Arab states that had
normalised ties with Israel, such as the UAE and Bahrain, now find
themselves having to publicly distance themselves from its actions. Saudi
Arabia, once the key target for US-led normalisation efforts, has
decisively stepped back. The study argues that the belief that Israel could
maintain these deals while waging an all-out assault on Gaza was always
unrealistic — and the events of the past year have confirmed that the
future of the region will not be shaped by US-brokered backroom agreements
but by the realities of power on the ground.

The study also highlights the internal impact on Israel itself, arguing
that the Gaza assault has had devastating consequences not just for
Palestinians but for Israeli democracy. The far-right government of
Benjamin Netanyahu has used the crisis to push through increasingly
authoritarian measures, suppressing dissent, targeting political opponents
and further entrenching an anti-democratic state. For years, Israel’s
defenders have justified US support by portraying it as “the only democracy
in the Middle East,” yet its current trajectory calls that claim into
question.

For Palestinians, the study makes clear that the ongoing assault has not
just deepened their suffering — it has exposed the complete failure of
US-backed diplomatic efforts. The Palestinian Authority, long seen as
Washington’s preferred mechanism for managing the occupation, has lost
whatever legitimacy it once had. As the study’s authors argue, the idea
that a US-led peace process will deliver a just solution to the conflict is
now as outdated as the assumption that Washington still has the power to
unilaterally shape the region’s future.

The world that is emerging in the wake of Gaza genocide is one in which US
dominance can no longer be taken for granted. Regional actors are asserting
themselves, often in direct defiance of Washington’s goals. The global
order that once revolved around American primacy is steadily shifting — not
through dramatic upheavals, but through the cumulative weight of lost
influence, realigned alliances, and a growing recognition that the US is no
longer the undisputed power it once was.

According to Debating American Primacy in the Middle East, what we are
witnessing is not just another moment of crisis, but a turning point. The
contradictions of US foreign policy, the fragility of its alliances, and
the limits of its power have all been laid bare. The decline of American
hegemony is not a future projection—it is unfolding now, in real time,
across the Middle East and beyond. The only question that remains is
whether Washington will acknowledge this reality and adapt, or whether it
will continue clinging to a system of dominance that is already slipping
away.

*-Nasim Ahmed is a political analyst. He publishes articles on a daily
basis with the London-based Middle East Monitor (MEMO) focusing in
particular on Israel and Palestine and the Gulf region.*
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