Dhaka, May 15 -- The US-Israeli war with Iran has done much more than destabilize the Middle East, trigger a surge in energy and other prices, and disrupt the global economy. It has also left US allies and rivals scrambling to respond to an unpredictable and unreliable superpower. The result is an historic geopolitical realignment that will shift the global balance of power over the next decade.

Of course, the war's effects are most immediate and profound in the region where it is being fought. It has already helped persuade many Gulf Arab states that the Gulf Cooperation Council-a loose diplomatic, economic, and security arrangement long plagued by infighting-is no longer fit for purpose.

The war also intensifies the rivalry between Sa...