This is GPS, the global public square. Welcome to all of you in the United States

and around the world. I'm Farid Zakaria, coming to you live from New York. Today

on the program, tensions and deaths mount in the Middle East as the world

watches and awaits Israel's expected ground invasion of Gaza. I'll talk to

former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who is also one of Israel's most decorated

soldiers. We'll talk about fighting Hamas, a potential ground invasion, and

whether a divided Israel has been united by war. Then, retired General David

Patreus led the American military's fight against insurgency in Iraq, Afghanistan,

and more. What lessons from those wars should Israel take into its war on Hamas?

Alas Patreus and his co-author on a new book, Andrew Roberts. But first, here's my

take. The crisis in the Middle East has revealed an important reality about the

world. While American influence may not be what it once was, it is still true

that no other country can replace the US as the pivotal player on the global

stage. But to retain that influence, it will need to act wisely and go further than

it has yet done. Consider how absent Russia and China have been from this crisis.

Over the last few years, both powers have tried in various ways to inject

themselves into the region. Russia built up its links with Israel. China helped

facilitate the resumption of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran. And

yet, since the Gaza crisis broke, neither has been able to play any role in

diffusing tensions or providing solutions. The United States, by contrast, has been

actively engaged from the start. President Biden's first order of business was to

condemn Hamas's terror attacks and stand in solidarity with Israel. Having done

...