Kuala Lampur, Aug. 18 -- The strategic landscape of West Asia is entering a phase of heightened volatility, where long-standing assumptions about deterrence, alliance structures, and regional order are being steadily eroded.

With the threat of President Donald Trump to bomb Oman, should Muscat continue to negotiate on its own with Iran, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz is becoming even murkier than ever.

The Gaza war and its regional spillovers, the recalibration of US engagement, the assertiveness of non-state actors, and the intensifying rivalry among regional powers have collectively produced a security environment that is less predictable and more fragmented than at any point in the post-Arab Spring era. Perhaps worse than even...