Joschka Fischer: A chain of regional wars threatens to ratchet up the tension between great powers

The post-1945 Pax Americana appears more vulnerable than ever before, and its main rivals are eager to exploit its apparent weaknesses in the face of new violent conflicts. Insofar as there still is an international community, its willingness to maintain the status quo appears to have diminished markedly.

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip. Picture: Ohad Zwigenberg/AP

When German chancellor Olaf Scholz, in a speech to parliament on February 27, 2022, described Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a 'Zeitenwende' (turning point), the risk of the war spreading was already apparent. But did he anticipate that we would be witnessing a chain of regional wars, or that tensions between great powers would begin to ratchet up almost daily? Sadly, that is where we are today.

Russian president Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked war of aggression was merely the first domino. Now, Hamas has launched a brutal terrorist attack on Israel from Gaza, killing 1,400 Israelis – most of them civilians – and abducting more than 200 others. How could such a deadly blow be struck against the Middle East’s strongest military and intelligence power? Can a terrorist organization like Hamas have accomplished such a feat on its own?