As China Thrives in the Post-9/11 Middle East, the US Must Counter

In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, America’s foreign policy establishment rallied around a belief that the West was in an intractable conflict with the radical Islamic world. U.S. support for Israel, Washington’s backing of autocratic Middle Eastern governments, and a vast cultural divide explained why al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations repeatedly launched attacks on American and European targets, the conventional wisdom held. But 20 years on, the rise of China as a superpower highlights a stark reality: Raw economic and diplomatic might and incentives, more than religion or culture, are what really drive international events in Asia and the Middle East. Washington’s narrow counter-terrorism focus has failed and is woefully out of date...

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This article was written under the auspices of The Washington Institute’s Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Program on Great Power Competition and the Middle East.