The Theater of War and the Death of Order

It felt like watching a theater production—high drama on the edge of catastrophe. For a moment, we seemed poised at the brink of Armageddon. And then, curtain down. Applause all around.

Each player walked offstage claiming victory.

The U.S. pulled off another Hollywood-style airstrike, Top Gun vibes and all. Israel succeeded in dragging others into its military escapade. Iran flexed just enough muscle to cover up its vulnerabilities.

Now the world pretends it’s had enough—for now. But don’t be fooled. The deeper consequences are only beginning to unfold.

1. International law is a corpse.

Once again, we’ve seen that neither the UN nor the so-called “rules-based international order” offers any meaningful restraint. Power decides, law follows—or collapses.

2. The nuclear taboo is broken.

The system of non-proliferation is effectively dead. Iran will now go all the way in seeking a nuclear deterrent, having just stepped away from the NPT. Who can blame them?

3. War is now preventive, permanent, and normalized.

If a Tom Cruise-style raid can target alleged nuclear facilities with impunity, what’s next? Water infrastructure? Food systems? Hospitals? All in the name of “security.”

4. NATO fades, BRICS is tested.

NATO appears increasingly irrelevant in this evolving chaos. BRICS, meanwhile, faces its first true moment of reckoning. Will it emerge as a real alternative—or fracture under pressure?

5. Distraction is the new strategy.

Putin “solved” COVID. Iran “solved” Ukraine. The media, part of the military apparatus, keeps the audience watching the wrong scene. And Gaza? They’ve quietly decided it should disappear altogether.

We are living through the morbid symptoms of a world in transition. The signs are louder, clearer, and more disturbing than ever.

The performance may be over—for now—but the reckoning is just beginning.