Conflict, competition, and containment will shape the contours of the

Those have included the Negev Forum, the I2U2 grouping (comprising India, Israel, the US, and the UAE), and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, as well as efforts to build on the Trump-era Abraham Accords by securing a Saudi-Israeli normalization agreement (hampered but clearly not derailed by the radical policies of Israel’s far-right government and the rise in violence in the West Ba. [...] With the PA already in a state of slow-motion collapse, the catastrophe unfolding in Gaza and the growing crackdown in the West Bank have underscored the growing impotence and obsolescence of the current Palestinian leadership. [...] Meanwhile, developments in Lebanon, like Hamas' call for arming Palestinians in the country in the fight against Israel, continue to underscore its transformation into the headquarters and planning grounds of the so-called “Axis of Resistance.” The possibility of a full-scale conflict, either as a direct result of the Gaza war or in the future if Lebanon fully descends into a failed, authoritarian. [...] From their positions atop the OPEC+ oil cartel to their invitation to join the BRICS intergovernmental organization and the UAE hosting the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, the current year has set the stage for both Saudi Arabia and the UAE to have a seat at the table as major powers debate the critical issues confronting the global community. [...] At a fundamental level, the Iran-led Axis of Resistance has a tricky balancing act to perform: to remain faithful to the idea of militancy as a way to pressure the United States and Israel, but without scaring the likes of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and others into the arms of Washington.