The World Ahead | Middle East in 2024
A new balance of power will emerge in the Middle East
America will still be an important part of it
![Injured Palestinians flee an area, hit by Israeli airstrikes, in Gaza.](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20231118_TWMAP003.jpg)
By Gregg Carlstrom
At its start, 2023 was supposed to be a year of regional de-escalation in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia agreed to a detente with Iran in March; it was also talking with America about a three-way deal that would have seen it normalise ties with Israel. Civil wars in Libya, Syria and Yemen had ground to a stalemate. Prosperous and stable, the Gulf states were the new centre of power in a region exhausted by conflict—and they wanted everyone to settle down and focus on economic growth.
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This article appeared in the Middle East and Africa section of the print edition of The World Ahead 2024 under the headline “Beyond Gaza”