Biswajit Das, Ramkrishna Mission Vidyamandira, Calcutta University
In 2025, the strategic studies discipline of international relations finds itself challenged anew. Multipolarity, a distribution of global power among several influential actors has not only become the defining theme of international politics, but also reshaped the logic and application of strategy itself. Recent armed conflicts, especially the Iran–Israel war and the India–Pakistan crisis, highlight the increasingly complex, diffuse, and dangerous landscape that scholars and practitioners now face. Overlaying this is the continuing but recalibrating role of the United States as both a catalyst and constraint in global affairs. Multipolarity is not just about the presence of multiple powerful states. It signifies a fundamental shift from the Cold War’s bipolar simplicity and post-Cold War unipolarity to a fluid, dynamic, and ambiguous order. Today, not only the U.S. and China but also India, Russia, the European Union, and militarily assertive regional powers such as Iran, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia shape the strategic environment. The “Global South” , a constellation of emerging economies and diplomatically activist states in Asia, Africa, and Latin America—has grown more assertive. Rather than being mere battlegrounds for great power rivalry, Global South nations are now demand setters and agenda shapers. The events of 2025 demonstrate that multipolarity brings both opportunities and perils. Its collaborative aspects include new economic partnerships, diversified alliances, and technological cross-pollination with negativities: unstable alignments, unpredictable escalation, and a breakdown of shared norms.
In June–July 2025, the Middle East was rocked by a dramatic escalation between Iran and Israel. Israel, citing intelligence about advances in Iran’s nuclear program, launched a 12-day aerial campaign against Iranian nuclear and military sites with the support of the United States, particularly striking Iran’s heavily fortified Fordow.
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