Lajme flash
The end of the illusion of diplomacy
2026-07-31 12:13:21 / IDE
There comes a point in international relations when diplomacy fails because the parties no longer believe that words have any value. This is precisely the moment the Middle East seems to be experiencing today.
The recent attacks between the United States and Iran, Saudi Arabia’s public involvement in operations against Tehran-backed forces, and the blocking of any attempt to resume negotiations are not isolated events. They are symptoms of a deeper malady: the erosion of diplomacy as a tool for crisis resolution.
When a president declares that the door to negotiations remains open, while hours later ordering bombings, and when the other side denies ever seeking a return to the negotiating table, we no longer have diplomacy. We only have the use of the word “negotiations” as part of psychological warfare.
The problem is not just the US or Iran. The problem is that the international system is entering an era where trust has ceased to exist. Agreements are no longer considered guarantees, but temporary pauses between two rounds of conflict. Alliances are not built for peace, but for the preparation of the next war.
Against this backdrop, Saudi Arabia's active involvement has a significance that goes beyond the military aspect. For decades, Riyadh has preferred to finance allies, exert political influence, and avoid direct confrontation with Iran. Today, it seems to have concluded that the cost of inaction has become greater than the cost of involvement.
This is a strategic shift with long-term consequences. It transforms the conflict from a US-Iran duel into a broader showdown between two rival Middle Eastern blocs.
But the paradox remains the same. Neither side declares that it wants an all-out war. Everyone talks about stability. Everyone says that they aim to contain the opponent. Yet every concrete action produces exactly the opposite: a higher degree of tension.
History is full of wars that no one intended to start. World War I is the most famous example. A series of miscalculations, automatic alliances, and decisions made under duress created a conflict that no one was able to stop. That is precisely why today's developments should be concerning.
For Albania, too, this is not a distant story. We are part of NATO, our economy is linked to global markets, and any crisis in the Persian Gulf is reflected in energy prices, inflation, and Euro-Atlantic security. In a globalized world, geographical distance no longer offers protection.
Perhaps the biggest lesson of this crisis is that the international order is not changing just because of the rise of new powers like China or the resurgence of rivalry with Russia. It is changing because diplomacy is gradually losing its fundamental function: building trust.
When agreements are not trusted, ceasefires are considered temporary, and negotiations are seen as tactical maneuvers, the world enters a phase where stability is no longer based on rules, but on fear. And history has taught us that balances based solely on fear are always temporary.
So the question we should be asking today is not whether the US or Iran will win the next round of this conflict. The question is much bigger: are we entering an era where war is replacing diplomacy as the primary language of international relations?
If the answer is yes, then the danger is no longer limited to the Middle East. It affects the very foundations of the international order on which the relative peace of the last eight decades has been based.
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