Great Power Competition

Policy Analysis on Great Power Competition

U.S. and Algerian flags at the U.S. Embassy in Algiers - source: U.S. government

Bolstering U.S.-Algeria Relations Amid the Africa Leaders Summit

At a time when Algerian military cooperation with Russia is growing and African counterterrorism challenges are proliferating, Washington cannot afford to take the relationship for granted.

Dec 15, 2022

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Sabina Henneberg

Articles & Testimony

Navigating China’s Security Presence in the Middle East and North Africa

Regional governments will continue to balance between Beijing and Washington, so policymakers should focus on tipping the scale in America’s favor, countering the narrative of U.S. withdrawal, and avoiding unnecessary escalation with China.

Winter 2022

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Grant Rumley
Carol Silber

Articles & Testimony

Are the Saudis Reconsidering Their Nuclear Posture?

Various historical and recent factors suggest that the nuclear dimension of Gulf politics is again in flux amid a deepening world energy crisis.

Dec 12, 2022

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Simon Henderson

Turkish president Erdogan at NATO headquarters in Brussels

Fikra Forum

Sweden, Turkey, and the Concessions for NATO Membership

Turkey's refusal to approve Sweden's NATO membership is yet another foreign policy tool being used by Erdoğan ahead of 2023 elections.

Dec 9, 2022

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Magnus Norell

Fikra Forum

The Regional Impact of Iran’s Drones in Ukraine

Russia's use of Iranian drones in Ukraine foreshadows potentially dangerous developments for U.S. forces and their allies in the Middle East.

Dec 7, 2022

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Omar Alradad

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Chinese President Xi Jinping at a summit in Beijing - source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

The Middle East in a Multipolar Era: Why America’s Allies Are Flirting With Russia and China

Because many states are eschewing both alignment with a single great power and nonalignment, the best U.S. response to this “omni-alignment” is creating more tailored opportunities for high-value cooperation with Washington.

Dec 7, 2022

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Michael Singh

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in Riyadh

Brief Analysis

What Saudi Arabia Wants from President Xi’s Visit

China is already one of the kingdom’s major commercial partners and a significant supplier of military and nuclear technology, but Riyadh wants more of each.

Dec 6, 2022

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Simon Henderson
Carol Silber

Ukrainian soldiers pose with a captured Russian military vehicle - source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

Only Russia’s Decisive Loss on the Battlefield Will End the Ukraine War

The West hasn’t shown signs of abandoning Ukraine in the near term, but it also hasn’t set a clear goal of permanently changing Moscow’s strategic calculus, which remains fixed on winning the long game.

Dec 6, 2022

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Anna Borshchevskaya

Articles & Testimony

Inflation, Soccer, Russia’s Mischief—Will Anyone Pay Attention to OPEC+?

Whether or not the cartel tweaks production quotas at its next meeting, ongoing global crises and the approach of a dark, cold winter in Europe may yet cause economic shudders.

Dec 1, 2022

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Simon Henderson

Palestians on a Mediterranean beach in Gaza

Brief Analysis

Changing Population Patterns Will Reshape the Middle East

Several of the region’s demographic heavyweights will be surpassed, and major shifts at the global level may affect how great powers vie for influence there as well.

Nov 22, 2022

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Patrick Clawson

Photo illustration of the flags of Sweden, NATO, Finland, and Turkey - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

Will Turkey Ratify Sweden and Finland’s NATO Accession?

Although Ankara will likely approve the Nordic expansion down the road, hurdles remain for Sweden, and Russia may play the spoiler’s role unless Washington facilitates the process.

Nov 22, 2022

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Soner Cagaptay
Michael Singh
Sude Akgundogdu

U.S. Army tactical microgrid equipment - source: U.S. Army

Brief Analysis

Using Microgrids to Provide Energy Security for U.S. Bases in the Middle East

The Ukraine war has shown how vulnerable military facilities are to potential attacks on a host country’s energy infrastructure, but Washington has cost-effective renewable options to mitigate this risk, especially in the Middle East.

Nov 21, 2022

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Nathan P. Olsen

Venezuelan and Iranian flags flying during a state visit in Tehran - source: Reuters

Multimedia

Brief Analysis

Iran May Be Outsourcing Kamikaze Drone Production to Venezuela

Tehran, Caracas, and Moscow have been running a secretive air bridge just as Iran appears to be surging its transfer of attack drones to Russia, raising questions about whether these activities are linked.

Nov 17, 2022

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Farzin Nadimi

Brief Analysis

New EU Sanctions Indicate More Willingness to Hold Tehran Accountable

Although their ultimate effects are uncertain, the new sanctions are a powerful signal that European governments are readier than ever to confront the regime’s human rights violations, drone deliveries to Russia, and nuclear stalling.

Nov 15, 2022

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Henry Rome
Louis Dugit-Gros

Photo showing the Iron Dome defense system intercepting Hamas rockets over Ashkelon, Israel, in May 2021.

Articles & Testimony

Why Israel Is Hesitant About Supplying Ukraine with Air Defense Systems

Jerusalem remains concerned that angering the Russians could jeopardize its crucial national security interests in Syria, though domestic elements and U.S. officials are still pressing it to do more.

Nov 15, 2022

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Anna Borshchevskaya

An Iranian-made Shahed-136 drone in use by Russian forces in an attack on Kyiv, Ukraine - source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

What Iran’s Drones in Ukraine Mean for the Future of War

Russia’s effective use of inexpensive Iranian aircraft points to challenges that other states may soon face elsewhere.

Nov 10, 2022

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Michael Knights
Alex Almeida

Brief Analysis

Iran’s Oil Exports Are Vulnerable to Sanctions

Iran continues to export significant volumes of oil, providing a key source of revenue for the regime—and a potential target for increased economic pressure.

Nov 9, 2022

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Henry Rome

Fikra Forum

In 2022 Polls, Views on U.S. Relations On Par with Other World Powers in the Middle East

Regional polls from March and August reveal shifting power dynamics, as economic conditions and relations with Israel continue to weigh on citizens’ minds.

Nov 9, 2022

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Frances McDonough

A cargo ship carrying Ukrainian grain passes through the Bosphorus - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

MENA Countries Stand to Lose the Most If the Ukraine Grain Initiative Falters

Russia will continue using the Black Sea corridors as leverage, so Western countries and their partners should prepare alternative routes and other assistance as counter-leverage.

Nov 8, 2022

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Anna Borshchevskaya
Louis Dugit-Gros
Sabina Henneberg

NATO solderis with alliance and national flags

Articles & Testimony

US-Europe Security Cooperation at the Crossroads

Recent Chinese and Russian actions have shaken the national security establishment out of its complacency, underscoring how American cooperation with Europe, the Middle East, and other actors will not be so straightforward in this new era of great-power competition.

November 2022

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Michael Singh

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