Lost chances

As the fourth season of For All Mankind comes to an end on Mars in the early aughts, I find myself thinking about the roads not taken in world history. Much like after 9/11, when the United States had a generational opportunity to win the war on terror outright by adhering to democratic norms, yet instead undermined its position through Guantánamo and the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Israel experienced a unique wave of global solidarity following the heinous attacks by Hamas last October. However, by choosing to bomb Gaza indiscriminately and killing tens of thousands, that goodwill has now been spent. With no clear endgame in sight, the Middle East instead finds itself in an ever-deepening downward spiral.