Simon Sebag Montefiore: Old Middle East Rivalries Are Breaking Down

A Wall Street Journal essay by historian Simon Sebag Montefiore argues that the Middle East's long-standing system of fixed rivalries is dissolving, replaced by a set of alliances that look nothing like the ones that defined the region for decades, according to the Journal piece.

What rivalries does the essay say are fading?

Sebag Montefiore's analysis, published by the Journal, frames the shift as the end of an era rather than a single turning-point event. The piece ties the breakdown of old alignments to a run of regional conflicts that have reshuffled which governments treat each other as adversaries and which now find common cause. The Journal's own framing of the essay describes "traditional rivalries" as "receding," without naming a single trigger date.

What is replacing the old order?

In place of the alliances readers have grown used to, the essay describes new partnerships forming around shared interest rather than historical allegiance or ideology. The Journal summary calls these emerging alignments "powerful," signaling they carry real weight in the region's current conflicts, even as the essay stops short of describing them as settled or permanent.

Why does the essay call the new order dangerous?

"The Death of the Old Middle East—and the Dangerous New World Replacing It"

That headline, carried by the Journal, states the author's own verdict plainly: what comes next is less predictable than what came before. The piece's framing suggests new alliances have not resolved the disputes driving regional conflict — they have simply rearranged who stands on which side of them, according to the Journal's account of the essay.

Who is making this argument?

The analysis runs under Simon Sebag Montefiore's byline in the Journal's World section, where he writes on how ongoing regional conflicts are reshaping the map of alliances. The Journal identifies the piece as his assessment of a region moving away from its old cauldron of rivalries toward a configuration that has not yet settled into a recognizable pattern.

Where can readers find the full analysis?

The essay itself lays out the specifics of which old alignments are breaking and which new ones are forming, detail that goes beyond what the Journal's own summary line provides. Readers following the shift in the region's alliances in depth should read Sebag Montefiore's full piece at WSJ.com, where the historian traces how the old order came apart and what, in his assessment, now stands in its place.

The Journal has not published a follow-up detailing reaction to the essay as of this report. HTT News will update this story if the Journal or other outlets publish additional reporting on the alliances described in the piece.

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