China-Middle East

Maximizing US foreign aid for strategic competition

By Patrick Quirk, Caitlin Dearing Scott

A fully developed strategy for using foreign aid across all sectors—economic, education, security assistance, and democracy support—can provide critical reinforcement to the military and economic pillars of strategic competition.

State of the Order: Assessing May 2023

The State of the Order breaks down the month's most important events impacting the democratic world order.

China’s subsea-cable power in the Middle East and North Africa

By Dale Aluf

Dale Aluf analyzes China's campaign to make countries in the region more dependent on Chinese networks, while reducing its own dependence on foreign cables. China’s growing presence in the Middle East and North Africa’s cable industry is significant because Beijing has the power to shape the route of global internet traffic by determining when, where, and how to build cables.

China, Iran, Belarus, and Armenia all fear a Russian defeat in Ukraine

By Taras Kuzio

China, Iran, Belarus, and Armenia all have different motivations for backing the Kremlin, but they are united by a common fear of what a Russian defeat in Ukraine might mean for their own countries, writes Taras Kuzio.

State of the Order: Assessing April 2023

The State of the Order breaks down the month's most important events impacting the democratic world order.

The United States is leaving an economic-statecraft vacuum in the Middle East

By Lesley Chavkin

China is stepping in to fill the void—with ramifications for Washington's global AML/CFT and sanctions efforts.

State of the Order: Assessing March 2023

The State of the Order breaks down the month's most important events impacting the democratic world order.