After Gaza, the War on Iran: Humanitarian Imperialism Beyond Multilateralism in an Age of Legitimacy Scarcity.
This essay argues that the US–Israeli attack on Iran in February 2026 should be understood as a continuation of a broader transformation in imperial power dynamics following the collapse of humanitarian legitimacy in Gaza. While earlier forms of humanitarian imperialism relied on multilateral author...
| Publicado en: | Middle East Critique Vol. 35; no. 2; pp. 539 - 546 |
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| Formato: | Artículo |
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Taylor & Francis Ltd
Jun2026
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=195217580&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 195217580 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 19436149 8UV3 jtl: Middle East Critique issn: 19436149 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jun2026 vid: 35 iid: 2 pid: 377 pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd artinfo: ui: 195217580 10.1080/19436149.2026.2685430 ppf: 539 ppct: 7 formats: tig: atl: After Gaza, the War on Iran: Humanitarian Imperialism Beyond Multilateralism in an Age of Legitimacy Scarcity. aug: au: Saghaye-Biria, Hakimeh affil: Faculty of Islamic Knowledge and Thought, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran su: Iran War, 2026 Economic sanctions Legitimacy of governments Power (Social sciences) Imperialism International organization Strategic communication Gaza Strip Iran United States sug: subj: Gaza Strip Iran United States Iran War, 2026 Economic sanctions Legitimacy of governments Power (Social sciences) Imperialism International organization Strategic communication keyword: Gaza Global South Humanitarian imperialism legitimacy scarcity post-multilateralism ab: This essay argues that the US–Israeli attack on Iran in February 2026 should be understood as a continuation of a broader transformation in imperial power dynamics following the collapse of humanitarian legitimacy in Gaza. While earlier forms of humanitarian imperialism relied on multilateral authorization and moral persuasion, the present conjuncture is marked by their erosion. The war on Iran demonstrates how coercion now proceeds under conditions of legitimacy scarcity, through minilateral alignment, economic pressure, and narrative management rather than global consensus. Drawing on critical traditions of humanitarian imperialism, the essay extends these frameworks to account for a phase in which humanitarian discourse persists but no longer secures consent. By situating Gaza and Iran within a single regional formation, the analysis shows that contemporary imperial power operates beyond multilateralism—through escalation, fragmentation, and coercive adaptation rather than normative authority. At the same time, the essay demonstrates that Iran's response—grounded in legal invocation of self-defense, political resolve, and mass societal mobilization—represents an active challenge to this evolving mode of imperialism and signals the emergence of a potential rules-making moment in international order. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y dt: @attributes: year: 2026 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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