Great Powers and Geostrategy

Analyzing Great Power engagement with the Middle East and the region’s geostrategic questions

Most analysts note the growing Russian and Chinese presence in the Middle East and presume that the Great Powers will increasingly compete for influence there, given the region’s energy reserves and security vulnerabilities. Yet, even now, the Great Powers see the Middle East differently from each other. Changes in the global energy mix, demographics, trade patterns, and other factors are likely to heighten those differences in the coming decades. The Middle East Program examines evolving trends in Great Power-Middle East engagement, as well as Great Power conflict and collaboration within the region, with a focus on geostrategy.

 

Featured Analysis


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Photo by:GREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images

Saudi Arabia Steps Out

The recent China-brokered agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran represents a new era of Saudi diplomacy, shifting away from passive agreement with the United States and toward greater independent engagement in the region and beyond. 

Commentary by Jon B. Alterman — March 22, 2023

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Photo: Frederic J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

Photo: Frederic J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

The Vital Triangle

Book by Jon B. Alterman and John W. Garver