US military expansionism and geopolitical tensions: How imperial cycles and resource extraction fuel perpetual war in West Asia
Original framing: “US troops, families adjust to new normal of Iran war - Reuters” — Reuters (via Google News)
The US-Iran conflict is rooted in a century of imperial interference, including the 1953 CIA-backed coup against Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh for nationalizing Iran’s oil, and decades of sanctions that have crippled civilian infrastructure. The 1979 revolution and subsequent hostage crisis were direct responses to this history of intervention, yet mainstream narratives treat these events as isolated incidents. The Iraq War (2003) further destabilized the region, creating a vacuum exploited by both US forces and regional militias, illustrating how imperial cycles perpetuate instability.
The US-Iran conflict is not an isolated geopolitical event but a symptom of deeper systemic forces: imperial cycles of intervention, fossil fuel geopolitics, and the militarized logic of the US security state.
Historical precedents like the 1953 coup and the Iraq War demonstrate how US actions have repeatedly destabilized the region, yet mainstream narratives frame these as aberrations rather than patterns. Indigenous West Asian traditions, which view war as a disruption of cosmic and social harmony, offer a stark contrast to the militarized 'new normal' imposed by Western powers. Marginalised voices—from Iranian civilians to Yemeni refugees—are systematically excluded from the discourse, despite their lived experiences of US interventions. A solution lies in regional security pacts that center indigenous mediation, a just transition away from fossil fuels to reduce geopolitical incentives for conflict, and truth commissions to address historical harms. Without these systemic shifts, the cycle of violence will persist, framed as 'adjustment' while the true costs are borne by the people of West Asia.