A whole new world, that’s where we’ll be!

Today, the internet and modern telecommunications have dramatically shortened not only the time it takes for news of events to reach us, but also the timeframe within which we expect their consequences to unfold.

To better understand today’s global geopolitical landscape, I suggest changing the timeframe through which we analyze events, their causes, developments, and consequences. We need to adopt what I call an “end-to-end” perspective, one that looks beyond the immediate moment to consider where events originated, how they have evolved, and where they may ultimately lead.

For example, we may observe a particular group of young people expressing strong sociopolitical views about a specific event, conflict, or situation. But to truly understand their position, we must ask: When did the underlying circumstances begin? What historical developments shaped their views? And when, if ever, might the situation that gave rise to those views come to an end?

Let me offer another analogy to illustrate this approach. Consider investing in the stock market. Experienced investors generally advise against buying or selling stocks based solely on today’s headlines or short-term fluctuations. Instead, they recommend identifying long-term trends, understanding the factors that may drive a stock’s value up or down over time, and making informed decisions based on medium- and long-term prospects. Once that decision is made, patience becomes essential.

The same principle applies to geopolitics: understanding the present requires looking beyond today’s headlines and examining the longer historical processes that brought us here, as well as the forces that may shape what comes next.

With that in mind, how do I interpret what is happening in the world today?

In my view, the wave of anti-Israel sentiment that erupted on October 8, 2023, was not simply a spontaneous reaction to the events of the previous day. Rather, I see it as the culmination of years of political and ideological influence, involving organizations such as The Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Open Society Foundations and countries such as China, North Korea, Russia, Iran and Qatar, whose activities, despite their different agendas and methods, have contributed to shaping political narratives and public opinion.

I believe these influences found fertile ground among economically frustrated members of the Baby Boomer (1946–1964) and Generation X (1965–1980) generations, as well as younger Millennials (1981–1996) and Generation Z (1997–2012), many of whom have struggled with the rising cost of living, economic uncertainty, and diminishing prospects for financial security. Unfortunately, conservative governments bear part of the responsibility for these frustrations, having failed to develop sustainable economic and social models capable of meeting the basic needs of the majority of the population, particularly in education, healthcare, housing, and employment. This failure created a fertile environment for political discontent and opened the door for alternative ideologies promising solutions to problems that traditional conservative policies had left unresolved.

As these frustrations grew, many individuals gravitated toward different movements across the political left, searching for answers to their economic and social challenges. Within some of these ideological circles, identification with the Palestinian cause became increasingly prominent, intertwined with broader narratives of social justice, inequality, and resistance.

From this perspective, the widespread mobilization around the Palestinian cause did not emerge overnight. It reflected a much longer process of political influence, ideological alignment, and generational frustration that had been unfolding for years before October 7, 2023.

But I believe there is another dimension to this process, one with potentially far-reaching consequences for Western civilization.

In my view, Islamist expansionist movements have recognized an opportunity to advance their long-term ambitions by exploiting the political and ideological shifts taking place across Western societies. By treating certain left-wing movements as a modern-day Trojan horse, these movements seek to benefit from political alliances that may ultimately serve objectives very different from those of their Western supporters.

I see this strategy unfolding in stages. First, Islamist political movements seek to establish a stronger presence and influence within Western societies, benefiting from immigration flows and the opportunities afforded by democratic institutions. As their communities and political networks grow, some Islamist organizations may seek to translate that presence into greater political influence, particularly through alliances with left-wing parties and voters sympathetic to their causes.

I believe we are beginning to witness this stage of history. And if this trend is eventually reversed, I suspect it will not happen because of an immediate political awakening, but rather because of the gradual disappointment that may follow when left-wing political movements aligned with Islamist interests fail to deliver the economic prosperity and social stability and freedom their supporters expect.

At that point, new frustrations may emerge, setting the stage for another generational political shift. Voters who once looked to the left for solutions may begin turning toward more conservative alternatives, seeking to regain control of their governments and restore policies they perceive as having been more effective in delivering economic prosperity, social stability, and opportunities for advancement.

In this scenario, the same economic frustrations that helped fuel the rise of the political left could eventually become the driving force behind its decline. A new generation may come to regard conservative policies, which it believes proved more successful during earlier periods, as the better path toward improving living standards and restoring confidence in Western institutions.

But none of this will happen overnight.

Political and ideological transformations of this magnitude rarely unfold within the short timeframes we have become accustomed to expecting. They develop over decades, shaped by economic conditions, demographic changes, political disappointments, and the gradual evolution of public opinion.

If my interpretation proves correct, the cycle I have described may take an entire generation to unfold.

And that brings me back to where I began: to understand where history is taking us, we must stop measuring geopolitical developments in days, weeks, or election cycles. These things do not just happen, start examining them from beginning to end.