From the aftershocks of the American earthquake on the ground to the false air raid warnings, the world's journey is heading towards choices that open the door to many possibilities under discussion. Air traffic fell victim to confusion after false threats boarded the aircraft, which turned out to be linked to cyberattacks. What happened in the air is being repeated on the ground, but with actual political and field attacks, not virtual ones, in the arenas of the world and its countries burdened with conflicts and wars. The ballot boxes are taking precedence over military calculations, but the results of politics do not yet seem sufficient to silence the drums of war. The American midterm elections did not change the identity of the occupant of the White House, but they did change the balance of power in Congress and placed Donald Trump before a new equation. A president who has lost his legislative majority with only a few months left before power in both houses of Congress shifts to the Democrats, the scene appears to be one of two choices: resorting to escalation to impose facts on the ground before internal constraints tighten, or reopening negotiations with Tehran to avoid turning the war into a political burden. After eight months in which the equation settled on the duality of war and elections, the regime in Tehran has not changed as a result of the war, while the political landscape in America and Israel has changed as a result of the elections. If the first statements of the American president and his deputy clearly acknowledged that the war was a major reason for losing the election battle, will Trump submit to the will of the voters and stop the military campaign by reaching an understanding that guarantees a political settlement that starts from the Washington-Tehran line and travels the world with its effects? Israel does not seem to be outside the circle of changing calculations. The Israeli political scene is also opening a door to a new phase, with Gadi Eisenkot advancing in the consultations for the mandate, after the number of parliamentary recommendations in his favor rose to sixty-seven, compared to forty-seven for Netanyahu. This advantage does not yet mean a decisive battle in forming a government, but it narrows the room for maneuver and presents Israel with a new political challenge, while its fronts remain open to the possibility of escalation, and its military calculations remain tied to the outcome of the American-Iranian confrontation. On this axis, Qatari mediation efforts remain active, and a phone call took place today between the Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister and the Iranian Foreign Minister to continue efforts to de-escalate tensions and enhance security in the region. As for Lebanon, the equation remains one of anticipation of external developments, amidst international warnings, Israeli threats, and Iranian messages that revive the slogan of unified fronts. In light of this reality, President
Joseph Aoun spoke about Lebanon being an independent and sovereign state, and that it would not accept anyone sharing its sovereignty with it. He raised the slogan of positive neutrality, which remains necessary to keep Lebanon neutral from the region's conflicts. The headlines intersect, from Washington, where the elections redrawn the balance of power in Congress, to Israel, which is searching for a new government formula, and finally to Lebanon, which is suspended between sovereignty and entanglement, while the world awaits the upcoming developments to determine who will win the political battle or who will hold the power to wage war.