World War III and the End of Classical Diplomacy

TEHRAN (Defapress) - Recent political and military developments clearly indicate that the world is moving towards a full-scale world war. It is not even an exaggeration to say that the Third World War has begun silently and imperceptibly for several years now, a comprehensive and extensive war whose starting signal was triggered by Russia's special military operation against Ukraine.

However, this world war, which could be a turning point in human history, did not begin solely with the war between Russia and Ukraine. Another one of its main foundations is the comprehensive and brutal aggression of the Zionist regime against the Gaza Strip, resulting in the massacre of 64,000 innocent civilians and injuring over 163,000 more.

Another factor echoing the whispers of this world war's expansion is the increasing tensions between China and Taiwan and the occasional escalation of this perennial crisis in the South China Sea. Because the crisis between these two ancient neighbors, coupled with China's constant territorial claim over Taiwan, has the potential to suddenly transform into a large-scale war across the region and the world.

On the other hand, the recent increase in aggressions by the Zionist regime against countries in the region, which began on October 7, 2023, with the US giving Tel Aviv a green light to aggress and target regional countries, could also potentially be considered the groundwork for the start of a third world war. Because in the past two years, we have witnessed the Zionist regime, with the support and backing of the US and the tacit support of Western European countries, start a bloody and devastating war against Gaza.

Of course, the Zionist regime's military aggression was not limited to the Gaza Strip. In the past two years, we have seen that after Gaza, the Zionist war machine and aggressor has targeted Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Tunisia and even Qatar, a US ally and friendly country. A series of aggressions that have once again exposed the occupying and aggressive nature of this illegitimate and child-killing regime to the world.

Now, amidst this, there are other crises, each of which alone could ignite the flames of a widespread global war. One of these crises is the energy crisis in the contemporary world; a crisis where, given the progress of industry and technology globally, we are seeing a significant and exponential increase in countries' need for energy, and the world's limited available resources have always been an important and influential factor in its expansion.

Considering all the mentioned issues and topics, it must be said that this new conflict is not occurring traditionally with a formal declaration, but rather in the form of a combination of military, economic, informational, and technological battles. In fact, in the current situation, global politics and order are no longer defined based on classical diplomatic mechanisms but are being redefined based on hard and soft power.

In today's world, we see countries establishing their position in the new world order by relying on military capability, energy, and advanced technologies. This situation has led to the formation of new alliances and rifts at the international level, resembling the alignment of power blocs in past world wars.

One of these striking developments is Germany's massive investment in armaments. A country that faced military restrictions for years after World War II is now reviving its hard power with very extensive armament programs. This move is not only considered a response to the threats from Russia and the Ukraine crisis but also a sign of Berlin entering a new phase in its geopolitical role in Europe and the world.

On the other hand, the war in Ukraine has, in practice, become an arena for the direct and indirect clash of global powers. In this conflict, approximately 68 countries around the world support Ukraine by sending military, financial, and intelligence aid, effectively lining up against Russia. This level of presence and participation has turned the Ukraine war into the epicenter of the Third World War; a place where East and West, great powers and their allies, are engaged in an unprecedented rivalry.

And finally, although future historians may disagree on the exact start date of the Third World War, evidence suggests that this war is already underway. A war is pursued not only with guns and tanks but also with sanctions, cyber technologies, energy, and media. The world is on the verge of a new order, an order whose winner will be the country with the greatest ability to combine hard and soft power.