Forever wars

West Asia continues to sit on a powder keg

2 min read

Updated On: May 10 2026 | 2:19 PM IST

US soldiers walk past surface-to-air missiles of the former regime of Saddam Hussain in Tikrit, Iraq, on September 1, 2003. Photo: Reuters

The last time a war in West Asia entered Indian homes the way the recent one has was in 1990-1991. Every night, the news on Doordarshan beamed footage of the Gulf War — of bombardments over Iraq’s capital Baghdad, and of tracer fire from anti-aircraft artillery cutting across dark skies. The hitherto unfamiliar “Scud missile” suddenly became part of everyday conversation. What also made the Gulf War personal was the massive and intensely coordinated evacuation exercise India carried out, pressing then state carrier Air India to pull out over 170,000 of its citizens from Kuwait and Iraq. It remains the largest civilian evacuation by air.

The Gulf War was, however, not the region’s first conflict. West Asia’s modern history of war goes back to 1948, when the creation of Israel, on May 14, triggered the first Arab-Israeli war. Subsequent wars in 1956 (Suez Crisis), 1967 (Six-Day War), and 1973 (Yom Kippur War; also called the October War or Ramadan War) altered borders, but left core disputes, particularly the Palestine question, unresolved.

External interventions did not help. During the Cold War, the United States (US) and the Soviet Union backed opposing sides, dragging the region into a geopolitical tug-of-war. The US went on to build its military and strategic presence across West Asia.

Proxy conflicts involving non-state actors added to the fragility of the region. In 2003 came the invasion of Iraq, led by the US and British troops, besides contingents from a few other countries. Not only did it remove a regime — Saddam Hussein’s — but also ensured long-term instability. Sectarian divides intensified, and armed groups that operated across borders rose.

Pakistan's mediation belies India's claims of its isolation

The rivalry between Iran and Israel has extended to multiple countries, particularly Syria, where the civil war, which began in 2011, spread beyond regional to global powers. Iran’s support for the Assad government and Israel’s efforts to counter Iranian influence brought Russia and the US into the conflict.

The current war involving the US, Israel and Iran is, in many ways, a reflection of historical patterns dictated by decades of mistrust, proxy actors, unresolved disputes, and a hunger for influence.

Add to the equation oil, which West Asia is rich in, and you get a region that continues to sit on a powder keg ready to explode.

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Written By :

Veenu Sandhu

Veenu Sandhu is senior associate editor at Business Standard. Based in New Delhi, she has been a journalist since 1996, and has worked in some of India's leading newsrooms across print, digital and television media, including NDTV 24x7, Hindustan Times and The Indian Express. At Business Standard, she writes, commissions, edits and gives direction to special, in-depth articles for the newspaper and the digital platform across beats and sectors. She also hosts video shows for Business Standard. Before this, she edited BS Weekend. She is a 2017-18 batch Chevening South Asia Journalism fellow.