US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio repeat the talking points with rehearsed certainty: Iran is on the verge, Iran is a threat, Iran must be stopped. Negotiating in Oman and Geneva, Iran signalled flexibility: a readiness to lower uranium enrichment and accept comprehensive oversight. The most capable Arab army in the field was not operating under an independent, unified Arab command structure. Military capability without political legitimacy and force without restraint accelerate decline rather than prevent itBut empires rarely fall because they are weak. But it exposed something fatal: that military capability without political legitimacy and force without restraint accelerate decline rather than prevent it.

Source: Sunday Times March 07, 2026 19:17 UTC