There is no ‘Middle East.’ There’s a Levant America loves and a Gulf China needs

ramps up, America’s historic reason for focusing on the Middle East will recede.”

OPINION: THE IRAN CRISIS IS BIGGER THAN THE NUCLEAR PROGRAM

Similarly, the National Defense Strategy (January 2026) suggests that the strategic importance of the Persian Gulf will diminish: “Likewise, in the Gulf, U.S. partners are increasingly willing and able to do more continue reading …