Great Power Competition

Policy Analysis on Great Power Competition

U.S. Policy in the Middle East Amid Great Power Competition

The true U.S. strategy debate in the Middle East is not about whether we should stay or go; it’s about how to continue advancing the interests pursued by successive administrations even as hostile competitors and unresolved threats combine to throw U.S. regional policy off balance.

September 2024

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Michael Singh

Brief Analysis

Boosting Military Support to Ukraine Can Help Deter Iran

From facilitating a no-fly zone over Ukraine to interdicting Iranian missile transfers, Washington and its allies have various means of answering the latest strategic shift in the war.

Sep 25, 2024

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Anna Borshchevskaya

A Russian Soyuz rocket launches from Baikonur Coxmodrome in Kazakhstan - source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

Russia’s Middle East Space Offensive

Moscow’s space cooperation with Tunisia could complicate U.S. attempts to develop norms for space travel, communication, and exploration.

Sep 24, 2024

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Anna Borshchevskaya
Sabina Henneberg

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Kataib Hezbollah in the Caucasus: One to Watch

Unconfirmed but detailed reporting on potential Iraqi terrorist cells in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan should be a wake-up call to monitor Kataib Hezbollah's external operations more closely.

Sep 24, 2024

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Hamdi Malik
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Brief Analysis

Middle East Developments Overshadow the IAEA Conference

Iranian missiles for Russia, Houthi attacks on Israel, and North Korea’s surprise display of centrifuges have quickly changed the atmosphere of the nuclear agency’s annual meeting.

Sep 17, 2024

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Simon Henderson

Central Bank of Libya headquarters building - source: Wikimedia Commons

Articles & Testimony

All of Libya Held Hostage by Gunmen Targeting the Central Bank

A political and literal fight over Libya's top financial institution could enable Russia to enjoy the spoils of war without having to fight one.

Aug 22, 2024

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Ben Fishman

Chinese and U.S. flags flutter at a trade meeting in Shanghai

Articles & Testimony

What to Make of China’s Moves in the Middle East

Beijing doesn’t care that its “Palestinian unity” agreement is a nonstarter or that a Hamas victory would undermine Chinese interests in stabilizing the Middle East—it just wants the United States to lose.

Aug 19, 2024

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Michael Singh

Russian president Vladimir Putin inspects a rifle while touring an arms factory in 2014 - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Countering Russia’s Strategy of Arming Anti-American Proxies

From rumored Houthi missile upgrades to Libyan arms deliveries by the ton, Moscow is doing all it can to empower hostile forces and undermine stability in the Middle East.

Aug 2, 2024

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Anna Borshchevskaya

Articles & Testimony

After 2011, the United States Stayed on the Sidelines—to Libya’s Detriment

Despite missing many past opportunities for low-cost diplomatic action, Washington can still do much to counter Russia’s deepening presence in Libya and Africa.

Jul 30, 2024

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Ben Fishman

Houthi missile hits Chios Lion tanker, Red Sea, July 2024.

Maps & Graphics

Houthi Attacks on Russia-Linked Tankers

Available data suggests the Yemeni group has been going after vessels carrying Russian cargo, particularly if an operator's ships have visited Israeli ports.

Jul 26, 2024

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Noam Raydan
Farzin Nadimi

◆ Maritime Spotlight

Chinese and Tunisian flags on display in Beijing in 2024 - source: Reuters

Video

Brief Analysis

Countering Chinese and Russian Influence in North Africa

The U.S. ambassador to Tunisia joins three Washington Institute experts to discuss the evolution of great power competition in North Africa.

Jul 10, 2024

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Joey Hood
Anna Borshchevskaya
Ben Fishman
Grant Rumley

Al-Shabab gives goats as zakat (alms) in Somalia.

Maps & Graphics

In-Depth Reports

Jihadist Governance and Statecraft

In this anthology, contributors discuss the policy challenges associated with an emerging phenomenon, but disabuse readers of any notion that jihadist governance and statecraft should be equated with political moderation.

Jul 10, 2024

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Devorah Margolin
Aaron Y. Zelin

◆ Jihadist Governance and Statecraft

Articles & Testimony

How the EU’s Plan to Replace Russian Gas Exposes Challenges in Algeria’s Energy Sector

A promising cross-Mediterranean initiative has run into political challenges, burdensome investment laws, methane leaks, and other hurdles.

Jul 4, 2024

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Sabina Henneberg
Noam Raydan

Egyptian prime minister Mostafa Madbouly greets Ukrainian president Volodimir Zelensky in Kyiv in 2023 - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Dueling Summits Show the Need to Enlist Arab Support on Ukraine

Key Middle East actors tend to distrust the U.S. narrative about the war and conclude they can reap better economic benefits from Russia, so Washington should do more to get them off the sidelines.

Jun 28, 2024

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Anna Borshchevskaya

NATO member flags fly at half-staff in solidarity with victims of the November 2015 Paris terror attacks - source: NATO

Brief Analysis

The NATO Summit Is Another Chance to Counter Russia in the “South”

The alliance has already been shifting toward greater engagement with the Middle East and Africa, but various maritime and infrastructure threats require more urgent attention, as does the broader problem of countering Moscow’s narrative.

Jun 25, 2024

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Anna Borshchevskaya

Chinese and Israeli flags on a table at a diplomatic conference - source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

Facing Off—China and Taiwan in the Contexts of the Swords of Iron War

Three Israeli experts analyze the strategic quandaries raised by Beijing’s vocal support for Hamas during the war.

Jun 16, 2024

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Assaf Orion
Roy Ben Tzur
Ofir Dayan

Brief Analysis

Energy Watchdog Predicts Big Oil Surplus by 2030

Implied lower prices would weaken economic forecasts for major Middle East oil producers.

Jun 14, 2024

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Simon Henderson

People waiting to buy bread in Tunis, 2024.

Maps & Graphics

In-Depth Reports

Avoiding the Election Error in Tunisia:

Why U.S. Policy Should Focus on Real Reform, Not Votes

An opaque process and an apathetic electorate are among the reasons the contest does not warrant U.S. scrutiny.

Jun 13, 2024

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Sabina Henneberg
Sarah Yerkes

Map of North Africa framed by U.S., Chinese, and Russian flags

Maps & Graphics

In-Depth Reports

North Africa in an Era of Great Power Competition:

Challenges and Opportunities for the United States

Washington can demonstrate its decisive edge in areas like climate change remediation and economic development, while highlighting the many dangers posed by partnership with Russia and China.

May 29, 2024

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Anna Borshchevskaya
Louis Dugit-Gros
Ben Fishman
Sabina Henneberg
Grant Rumley

Delegates and flags at the 2018 China-Arab Forum - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

What to Expect from the Latest China-Arab Forum

Attendees will likely focus on the Gaza crisis and trumpet new cooperation agreements, but these CASCF meetings are more notable for what they reveal about the limits of Chinese influence in the Middle East.

May 29, 2024

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Rebecca Redlich

Supported by the

Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Program on Great Power Competition and the Middle East

The Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Program on Great Power Competition and the Middle East focuses on the region as a setting for heightened competition between the United States and other world powers, such as China and Russia.

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Featured experts

Grant Rumley

Grant Rumley is the Meisel-Goldberger Senior Fellow and Director of the Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Program on Great Power Competition and the Middle East at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Anna Borshchevskaya

Anna Borshchevskaya is the Harold Grinspoon Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute, focusing on Russia's policy toward the Middle East.

Michael Singh

Michael Singh is the Managing Director and Lane-Swig Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute.

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Great Power Competition

Policy Analysis on Great Power Competition

Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Program on Great Power Competition and the Middle East

Featured experts

Regions & Countries

Issues

Great Power Competition

Policy Analysis on Great Power Competition

Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Program on Great Power Competition and the Middle East

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Featured experts