Does the declaration recently signed in Riyadh indicate a gradual transition towards a regional security architecture that will assume responsibilities long borne by external naval powers?
Netanyahu continues to defy calls from Washington to pump the brakes on Israel's offensive in Lebanon, something Iran has linked to a future peace deal
For Addis Ababa, using Djibouti's port for trade is not enough; it wants its own sovereign access to international waters. However, this first needs the consent of suspicious neighbours.
With Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas still standing, it appears that Netanyahu oversold the possibility of total victory. His damaged credibility leaves him with far less wiggle room in his next move.
With China's nuclear expansion, Russia's sabre-rattling, North Korea's new warheads, and America's future security commitments in serious doubt, Washington's allies ask: should we get our own?
Since last May's brief yet dangerous military confrontation between two nuclear-armed powers, a tenuous calm has held. But should a new war erupt, the margin of error this time will be far slimmer.
Regional states have come to the realisation that fighting 'axis' members individually will have little effect, and any tactical success will likely be short-lived