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II - Where Next? The transformation represented by Operation “Yemen Dawn” cannot be understood solely through its immediate military results, nor is it enough to examine the declared positions of the parties involved in the war. The issue extends beyond the battlefield to the reshaping of regional balances, the future of Yemen, and its place in Arab security arrangements and international maritime routes. A comparison between “Yemen Dawn” and Operation “Decisive Storm” in 2015 perhaps reveals the extent of the changes that have occurred in the nature and objectives of the war. At the time, Saudi Arabia entered the conflict with the stated aim of restoring legitimacy and preventing the Houthis from taking control of the Yemeni state, relying on overwhelming military superiority and a regional coalition. Yet years of warfare have demonstrated that military superiority is insufficient to settle a conflict in which internal divisions are intertwined with regional calculations, and where geography becomes a source of power no less important than weapons.

Faith is, above all, a person's wholehearted commitment to an ideal greater than themselves. It rests on trust. In Saint Paul's words, it is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). Faith thus emerges as perseverance and hope, grounded in Christ's sacrifice and in the certainty of unseen realities. It is the capacity to hope and to believe in the truth of what cannot be seen. These unseen realities are handed down through tradition, from which they derive their legitimacy. One can exercise faith in Christ only once one has received assurance of his existence, come to know him, and become aware of his message and his will. This knowledge comes through history, through an understanding of his teachings, and through an embrace of his Passion and his victory over death. Yet none of this is witnessed directly; it is handed down. Faith and tradition are therefore intimately and structurally linked.

Young people, including many teenagers, are being hanged in Iran at an alarming rate. At least 532 people were executed between January 1 and August 31, 2026, according to Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO), an Oslo-based human rights NGO that documents executions and human rights violations in Iran. The organization says it has received reports of more than 500 additional executions, including those of many young people and university students, which it has not yet been able to verify. According to the same source, 270 of the 532 people executed had been convicted of “murder” and 180 of “drug-related offenses.” Another 71, however, were executed on “national security” charges, including 27 protesters, 13 political prisoners affiliated with banned opposition groups, and 14 people accused of “espionage or collaboration with foreign states.”

If there were an award for mythomania and manipulation, Hezbollah would win it hands down. The group has become a master at distorting reality and manipulating its own support base. This group is responsible for Israel’s occupation of a large part of southern Lebanon, the destruction of numerous villages and agricultural areas, and thousands of deaths and displacements in a war imposed on the people of southern Lebanon – at times in support of Hamas, at others to avenge an Iranian ayatollah. Yet the group is once again casting itself as the savior of its own victims, among them residents of southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs.

The Strait of Hormuz is not completely blocked, despite Iran’s repeated claims that it has been closed. Oil continues to flow through the strait at a rate of 13.1 million barrels a day, or 80% of prewar levels, according to CNN. Oil tankers are circumventing the blockade by switching off their transponders, traveling under military escort, or using overland pipelines. Adding to this volatile crisis are the resumption of the war in Yemen and the ongoing stalemate in Ukraine. Against this backdrop, the world watched the recent Washington summit, held from September 23 to 25, 2026, bringing together Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, with varying degrees of attention. The state visit, the first of its kind for the Chinese leader in more than a decade, was presented as a turning point. Yet to understand the true significance of those three days of talks, it is essential to look beyond the veneer of official dinners, military parades, and diplomatic communiqués.

It is impossible to consider the future of political Islam in the Middle East without examining the Shiite experience, particularly the 1979 Iranian Revolution. The revolution did more than transform Iran’s political system. It marked a historic turning point in the place of Shiites within the Muslim world. It also gave rise to a political and intellectual project that extended beyond Iran’s borders, reshaping the balance of power and changing how Islamic history itself is understood. The Rise of the Shiites and the Reinterpretation of History For centuries, much of the Muslim world lived under the authority of states and political and cultural institutions dominated by Sunnis. As this dominance became more firmly entrenched, the Sunni interpretation of Islamic history became the most widespread and the most prominent in the public sphere.