US

The war in Ukraine is further diverting US attention from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, where Russia and China have expanded their footprint over the past decade. US President Joe Biden’s upcoming visit to the Middle East—his first since he took office—provides an opportunity to assess the kind of role the United States will play in the MENA region in the future. Is a post-US era about to begin in the region? What is changing in the regional order?

The war in Ukraine is further diverting US attention from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region where Russia and China have expanded their footprint over the past decade. US President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s upcoming visit to the Middle East—his first since he took office—provides an opportunity to assess the kind of role the United States will play in the MENA region in the future. The big question is whether the region is entering a post-US era and how the new regional order will be structured.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shaken the foundations of the global order, and the extent and outcome of the conflict are not yet clear. What is clear is that basic principles underpinning almost seventy years without major power conflict are at stake. If a significant power’s attempt at territorial aggression against a sovereign neighbour – no matter the complicated history – is successful, we will have reverted to a less peaceful era.

President Joe Biden’s upcoming trip to Asia between the 20th and 24th of May will conclude a two-step diplomatic effort to gain region-wide consensus, a process that was kicked off with the US-ASEAN Summit in Washington D.C. on May 12th-13th. However, Biden’s visits to Tokyo and Seoul may lead to a different outcome compared to the previous summit.

The MED This Week newsletter provides expert analysis and informed comments on the MENA region's most significant issues and trends. Today we turn the spotlight on the challenges the United States is facing to shore up ties with unsatisfied allies in the Middle East and North Africa and tackle today's energy crisis.

Political polarization and the structure of American democracy are key impediments to decarbonization policies in the United States.

The gloves are off. There is very little disagreement among (non-Chinese) scholars and analysts that China is the elephant in the room in the Indo-Pacific. China is challenging and indeed changing the territorial status quo in the South China Sea, has increased its unlawful intrusions into Taiwanese-controlled airspace and intrusions into Japanese-controlled territorial waters in the East China Sea.

As the eyes of the world are focused on Ukraine and on the return of war in Europe, senior officials from the US and China, Jack Sullivan and Yang Jiechi, met in Rome on March 15th to discuss “a range of issues in U.S.-China relations”, according to US sources. The Chinese side stressed the fact that the aforementioned meeting was scheduled before the war and that the reason for it was mainly to follow up the Xi-Biden video-summit of November 15th. What does this mean?

In the wake of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, there is no doubt that the international order that has developed throughout the 20th century is facing a crisis. In order to protect the liberal international order, human rights, democracy, the principle that the status quo should not be changed by force and that peaceful conflict resolution is necessary are all essential and are now being challenged.

The US-China tech race is fueling a strategic contest over which country will set the standards and norms of digital governance. From 5G, AI, Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, and robotics to aviation, agriculture, biotech, clean tech, and satellite navigation, technology innovation is accelerating global competition. However, this requires international cooperation, too.

The MED This Week newsletter provides expert analyses and informed comments on the most significant developments in the MENA region, bringing together unique opinions on the topic and reliable foresight on future scenarios. Today, we focus on Afghanistan and on what the US withdrawal by September 11, 2021, will mean both domestically and internationally. Also, what shoul we expect from the diplomatic talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban to be held in Turkey?

On January 20, Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States. According to a survey by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)  as of January 2021, a majority of Europeans are happy about the election victory, but 32 percent say that the Americans can no longer be trusted after the four years of President Trump.