During a July 16 appearance on Meet the Press, AEI senior fellow and former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich characterized the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict as not merely a series of isolated skirmishes but rather as signs of an emerging third world war. His remarks caught fire in the media world and the blogosphere, leading to a nationwide debate on the extent of the current conflict.

In his comments, Gingrich linked Iran, Syria, North Korea, Venezuela, al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, and Hamas as allies in an asymmetrical war against democratic powers like the United States and Great Britain.

The map below illustrates the scope of the emerging conflict and the involved parties.