Afkār is a publication of the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, providing short-form analyses, insights, and perspectives on regional issues and developments from the Council's experts and outside contributors. Afkār is published in English and Arabic, and is edited by Omar H. Rahman.
The Iran war has pushed Europe and the Gulf into closer strategic alignment, driven by shared concerns over energy security, maritime stability, and overreliance on the United States. Yet the same structural dependencies and political divisions that make cooperation necessary may also limit how far it can go.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz and subsequent surge in energy prices have been an economic boon to exporters not directly affected by the disruption, Algeria included. But will the windfall revenues translate into something more durable for the North African country plagued by chronic investment deficits and structural reform needs?
There is no obvious winner of the Iran war—and with neither side able to impose its will on the other, the Middle East is entering an era of fragile equilibrium.