Anthony De Luca-Baratta, Mollie Sharfman, William Erich Ellison & Joseph Schneider Malamud
For the last ten months, Israel and Iran have been engaged in a wide-ranging proxy war from Gaza and Lebanon to Syria and Yemen. In the aftermath of several high-profile assassinations of leaders of Iranian proxies, it appears possible the conflict will escalate even further. The Israeli-Iranian conflict, in turn, is deeply enmeshed within an ongoing cold war between a Western bloc led by the United States and a Eurasian bloc led by China, Russia, and Iran.
To the casual observer, it is apparent that the Israeli-Iranian conflict is raging across the Middle East. Analysts, including the authors, have also highlighted Israeli and Iranian involvement in the Russo-Ukrainian War. Beyond these central theaters, however, the Israeli-Iranian cold war is also being waged across the Caucasus and Central Asia. Taking advantage of geopolitical flux, both Jerusalem and Tehran are trying to expand their footholds in these pivotal regions.
The onset of the Russo-Ukrainian War led to Russia’s attention being diverted from these regions, two of its traditional spheres of influence. Taking advantage of this growing vacuum, Israel and Iran have stepped into the fray. The former has been cementing its partnership with Azerbaijan and building new bonds with the Central Asian states, while the latter has been expanding ties with Armenia and refortifying its position in Central Asia. Meanwhile, Turkey, a geopolitical swing state, shifts between the Western and Eurasian camps.
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