Central Asia & Caucasus Data

Before the US and Israeli attacks against Iran and Iran’s retaliation, you’d be excused if you didn’t know that the US has a plethora of military bases in the Middle East – that have now been targeted by Tehran – and around the world. As it is highly topical, today we explore the history, rationale The post Base effect: US power projection and the danger of dispersion appeared first on Asia Times.

As the US and Israel’s assault on Iran grinds on, the Trump administration has issued increasingly bellicose claims that American and Israeli forces are delivering ferocious blows to the Iranian regime. The US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, warned of the “most intense” day of strikes yet on March 10. And Donald Trump followed with The post Why Trump emphasizes US Kharg attack preserved Iran oil lifeline appeared first on Asia Times.

As the American and Israeli war with Iran unfolds, some American Christians are speaking of the conflict in biblical terms, mapping end-time prophecies on to current events in the Middle East. In a sermon on March 1, 2026, for example, John Hagee, founder of Christians United for Israel, described the war as part of a The post Pulpit to Pentagon: the evangelicals who see Iran war as God’s plan appeared first on Asia Times.

In his monumental work “The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire”, historian Edward Gibbon argued that empires rarely collapse suddenly. Their decline is usually gradual, shaped by long-term structural changes. Yet, history occasionally records moments when a single strategic miscalculation accelerates the process. The question worth asking is whether the United The post Iran may be where the US-led world order ends appeared first on Asia Times.