{"id":123896,"date":"2026-09-11T07:41:32","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T02:11:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=123896"},"modified":"2026-09-11T12:20:40","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T06:50:40","slug":"daily-editorial-analysis-11-september-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/daily-editorial-analysis-11-september-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Daily Editorial Analysis 11 September 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><strong>The Global War on Terror, An Empowered Iran\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>global war on terror<\/strong>, launched by the United States after September 11, 2001, sought to eliminate terrorism and contain threats to American interests.<\/li>\n<li>However, its interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq produced unintended consequences that strengthened Iran.<\/li>\n<li>By removing hostile regimes, creating political vacuums, and intensifying sectarian conflicts, U.S. actions enabled Tehran to emerge as a powerful regional actor.<\/li>\n<li>Iran\u2019s rise demonstrates how military intervention can generate outcomes contrary to its original objectives.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>The Removal of Iran\u2019s Strategic Rivals<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Before 2001, Iran faced strategic pressure from two hostile neighbours: the <strong>Taliban in Afghanistan<\/strong> and <strong>Saddam Hussein\u2019s Iraq<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>The U.S. invasions of Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003 removed these governments, eliminating Iran\u2019s most dangerous regional adversaries.<\/li>\n<li>In Iraq, the overthrow of Saddam\u2019s <strong>Sunni-dominated regime<\/strong> enabled the emergence of a Shia-led political order with strong connections to Tehran.<\/li>\n<li>Iran subsequently developed substantial influence over Iraqi political institutions, security organisations, and armed militias.<\/li>\n<li>Iraq gradually shifted from a hostile neighbour to a strategic partner, significantly improving Iran\u2019s regional position.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Sectarianism and the Expansion of Proxy Warfare<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h4><strong>The Shia-Sunni Divide<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>The invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq destabilised existing political structures and intensified <strong>Shia-Sunni sectarian tensions<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>The weakening of central authority encouraged religious identity-based mobilisation and armed conflict.<\/li>\n<li>In Iraq, Sunni insurgent groups and Shia militias competed for influence, while regional powers supported opposing factions.<\/li>\n<li>Iran strengthened Shia militias, whereas Saudi Arabia and other regional actors supported Sunni political and militant forces.<\/li>\n<li>This <strong>proxy warfare<\/strong> increased Tehran\u2019s influence and undermined the objective of isolating Iran.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4><strong>Iran\u2019s Role in Counter-Terrorism<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>The emergence of ISIS paradoxically strengthened Iran\u2019s regional position.<\/li>\n<li>Tehran became a crucial military supporter of the Iraqi government, deploying advisers and coordinating Shia militias through the <strong>Quds Force<\/strong> of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.<\/li>\n<li>Iran\u2019s participation in the anti-ISIS campaign provided strategic legitimacy for its military presence in Iraq and Syria.<\/li>\n<li>Although the United States and Iran briefly shared an interest in defeating ISIS, meaningful cooperation failed to emerge.<\/li>\n<li>The U.S. designation of Iran as part of the <strong>Axis of Evil<\/strong> in 2002 reflected continuing hostility and prevented sustained dialogue.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>The Axis of Resistance and Forward Defence<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Iran\u2019s regional strategy developed around the <strong>Axis of Resistance<\/strong>, a network of political, military, and social organisations extending across Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine.<\/li>\n<li>Its major members include <strong>Hezbollah<\/strong>, <strong>Hamas<\/strong>, the <strong>Houthis<\/strong>, and Shia militias in Iraq.<\/li>\n<li>These groups provide Iran with strategic depth and enable it to exert influence beyond its national borders.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Asymmetric Power<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Iran\u2019s military strategy has focused heavily on the <strong>Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)<\/strong>, particularly its Quds Force.<\/li>\n<li>The IRGC controls important strategic assets and coordinates Iran\u2019s regional partnerships.<\/li>\n<li>Unlike conventional military forces, the IRGC specialises in <strong>asymmetric warfare<\/strong>, using military advisers, intelligence, missile capabilities, and allied armed groups to project Iranian power.<\/li>\n<li>This strategy allows Iran to challenge the United States and Israel without matching their conventional military superiority.<\/li>\n<li>Proxy networks have therefore become a central pillar of Iranian defence policy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Power Vacuums after 2011<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>S. withdrawal from Iraq<\/strong> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/arab-spring\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Arab Spring in 2011<\/strong><\/a> created political and security vacuums.<\/li>\n<li>Iran was well positioned to exploit these developments because it already possessed established networks of allies and military influence.<\/li>\n<li>In Iraq, Iranian-backed forces became important actors in the fight against ISIS.<\/li>\n<li>In Syria, Tehran intervened to defend Bashar al-Assad\u2019s government, protecting its major state ally and preserving access to Hezbollah in Lebanon.<\/li>\n<li>The prolonged <strong>Forever Wars<\/strong> consumed American resources and attention, allowing Iran to consolidate its influence.<\/li>\n<li>Its ability to operate through local partners reduced the costs of direct intervention while increasing strategic reach.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>The Transformation of Iran into a Regional Power<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The removal of hostile regimes, collapse of political institutions, and rise of sectarian conflicts enabled Tehran to expand its influence across West Asia.<\/li>\n<li>Iran\u2019s regional power rests on <strong>strategic depth<\/strong>, <strong>proxy warfare<\/strong>, political alliances, military networks, and nationalism.<\/li>\n<li>The IRGC coordinates regional operations, while allied governments and armed groups provide buffers against external threats.<\/li>\n<li>This transformation illustrates the limitations of strategies based exclusively on military containment.<\/li>\n<li>By attempting to reshape West Asia through intervention, the United States unintentionally created conditions for Iran\u2019s rise.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Although the United States sought to eliminate terrorism and contain Iran, its interventions removed Iran\u2019s strategic rivals, destabilised neighbouring countries, and enabled Tehran to expand its influence.<\/li>\n<li>Iran capitalised on these developments through the <strong>Axis of Resistance<\/strong>, the IRGC, and an extensive network of regional alliances.<\/li>\n<li>Iran\u2019s present capacity to resist pressure from the United States and Israel reflects the cumulative advantages it gained during the past two decades.<\/li>\n<li>Its rise demonstrates that <strong>military interventions can generate unintended strategic consequences<\/strong>, particularly when they disrupt regional balances without establishing durable political stability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>The Global War on Terror, An Empowered Iran\u00a0FAQs<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Q1. <\/strong>Why did Iran\u2019s regional influence increase after 2001?<br \/>\n<strong>Ans. <\/strong>Iran\u2019s influence increased because the U.S. invasions removed its hostile neighbours, Afghanistan\u2019s Taliban regime and Saddam Hussein\u2019s Iraq.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q2. <\/strong>How did sectarianism strengthen Iran?<br \/>\n<strong>Ans. <\/strong>Sectarian conflicts enabled Iran to support Shia militias and expand its regional influence.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q3.<\/strong> What is the Axis of Resistance?<br \/>\n<strong>Ans. <\/strong>The Axis of Resistance is a network of Iran and allied political and military groups across West Asia.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q4. <\/strong>How did ISIS benefit Iran strategically?<br \/>\n<strong>Ans. <\/strong>ISIS\u2019s rise enabled Iran to become a key military supporter of Iraq and strengthen its regional position.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q5.<\/strong> What is the main lesson of the global war on terror?<br \/>\n<strong>Ans. <\/strong>Military interventions can produce unintended consequences by creating power vacuums and strengthening regional rivals.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/opinion\/op-ed\/the-global-war-on-terror-an-empowered-iran\/article71452605.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hindu<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Daily Editorial Analysis 11 September 2026 by Vajiram &#038; Ravi covers key editorials from The Hindu &#038; Indian Express with UPSC-focused insights and relevance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":86373,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[138],"tags":[141,882,909],"class_list":["post-123896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-daily-editorial-analysis","tag-daily-editorial-analysis","tag-the-hindu-editorial-analysis","tag-the-indian-express-analysis","no-featured-image-padding"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123896"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123896\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":123939,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123896\/revisions\/123939"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}