We are living through one of the most precarious moments in recent history. The twin flashpoints that have emerged this year first in South Asia, and now in the Middle East, reveal not only the volatility of our times but also the weakening of global mechanisms that once restrained such crises.

Just last month, tensions between India and Pakistan once again spiraled toward the edge of war. The military exchanges raised the specter of a catastrophic confrontation between two nuclear-armed neighbors. While global powers, led by the United States, quickly stepped in to push for a ceasefire, their reaction exposed an uncomfortable truth: selective urgency. Washington remained largely silent after the initial Indian strikes, only becoming vocal when the conflict risked spiraling out of control following Pakistan’s counterattack.

Now, less than a month later, the Middle East teeters on the edge of a wider war. On June 13th, Israel launched a sweeping and deadly air campaign against Iranian military targets, including suspected nuclear infrastructure. In a departure from past precedent, Iran responded not through proxies but with direct ballistic missile and drone attacks, marking a new and dangerous phase in their long-running hostility. And once again, the international reaction particularly from the US was revealing. While Israel’s first strike was met with tacit support or silence, Iran’s retaliation prompted urgent calls for de-escalation and international restraint.

These developments reflect more than just regional rivalries. They point to a systemic global crisis: a world where the rules of engagement are being rewritten, deterrence is failing, and diplomacy is faltering under the weight of strategic hypocrisy.

An unstable world

Both conflicts—South Asia in May and the Middle East in June—are not isolated. They are part of a broader global unraveling. From Russia’s continuing war in Ukraine, to tensions in the Taiwan Strait, to unrest across Africa and Latin America, the post-Cold War assumption that great power war was obsolete is no longer credible. The world is no longer sliding toward instability—it is actively plunging into it.

Compounding the danger is the failure of the international community to apply principles consistently. When some nations are allowed to act with impunity while others are condemned for defending themselves, trust in international norms erodes. Calls for peace begin to ring hollow. Ceasefires appear less about preventing bloodshed and more about preserving geopolitical alignments.

What’s more, this crisis is unfolding in a world increasingly shaped by cyber warfare, AI-driven surveillance, and autonomous weapons all of which are accelerating the pace of escalation and reducing the window for diplomacy. Old tools for conflict prevention backchannels, summits, pressure from neutral powers now feel too slow for the speed of modern warfare.

Double standards of great powers     

The coming weeks and months will be critical. Leaders must understand that what is at stake is not just regional stability, but the very credibility of the global order. If great powers continue to apply double standards in how they interpret aggression and retaliation, smaller states will increasingly take matters into their own hands often with devastating consequences.

The twin crises of South Asia and the Middle East in 2025 reflect a dangerous transformation of global order from a managed, rules-based system to an increasingly fragmented and militarized world. The absence of consistent international norms, selective diplomacy, and double standards by great powers are undermining peace efforts and pushing humanity closer to irreversible confrontation.

(The author is an independent strategic and security analyst who has represented Pakistan in international conferences and roundtables. Views expressed are personal. She can be contacted at beenishaltaf78@gmail.com )