Meet the New Middle East, Same as the Old Middle East

Meet the New Middle East, Same as the Old Middle East

Everything has changed in the region, and nothing is different.

A woman walks past a billboard displayed in Tel Aviv on June 26, 2025 by the "Coalition for Regional Security." August 7, 2025, 6:05 AM Comment icon View Comments ( )

Given the tumultuous events of the past several years, it is tempting to herald the emergence of a “ new Middle East .” But how many times have we heard that? The Six-Day War was thought by some to be a critical turning point—surely Israel’s Arab opponents would make peace now?—and it didn’t happen. Ditto the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, the first Gulf War, the Oslo Accords, the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and the Arab Spring. And yet events like the Sept. 11 attacks, the Syrian civil war, the Oct.