The Costs of War Extend Far Beyond Gaza

The widening fallout from October 7 is upending the Middle East in horrible ways, some new and some familiar. The Houthis have discovered their power to disrupt international shipping. Militia factions allied with Iran have crossed old red lines in their daily attacks on U.S. bases. The United States has shown itself unable to restrain the conduct of its principal regional ally, Israel, and is now facing an era of diminished influence and overextended entanglements. Meanwhile, the Middle East poly-crisis is more acute than ever. Across the region there’s hardly any prospect for effective governance or a modicum of civil rights.