Follow CGSP on Social Media

Listen to the CGSP Podcast

DC’s Think Tanks Mobilize for Rapid Response to the China- Brokered Iran-Saudi Arabia Pact

by Eric Olander
Ali Shamkhani, a close adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni, right, shakes hands Friday with Wang Yi, China's top foreign policy official, during a meeting with Saudi Arabia's National Security adviser and Minister of State Musaad bin Mohammed al-Aiban in Beijing. NOURNEWS AGENCY / AFP

Given that China and the Mideast are two of the three primary obsessions among U.S.-based national security think tanks (Russia being the third, of course), it shouldn’t be a huge surprise that analysts reacted very fast with their assessment of Friday’s rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

The Atlantic Council was the first to respond (and the most prolific), publishing insights from 14 different analysts within 24 hours of the deal’s announcement. But over the course of the weekend, the debate shifted to Twitter, where it became almost impossible to keep up with the pace of commentary from scholars and analysts in the U.S. and around the world.

Lead the Conversation on China

Subscribe Today to Get Full Access to The China-Global South Project

Check Out Everything You'll Get With Your Subscription

The China-Global South Daily Brief delivered to your inbox at 6AM Washington time

Full access to exclusive news and analysis from editors based in the Global South

Transcripts of CGSP’s twice-weekly podcasts

Students and teachers with a valid .edu email address are eligible for a 50% discount off monthly or yearly subscriptions. Email us to receive a discount code.

You Might Like

China’s Middle East Approach Probably Won’t Change Soon: Expert

Following President Xi Jinping’s visit to Saudi Arabia late last year, many speculated that China was aiming to replace the U.S. in the region, not least because U.S.-Saudi relations are currently quite frosty. ...

U.S. Conservatives Blast Biden for Iran-Saudi Arabia Deal, Say It Highlights American Decline

Conservative U.S. lawmakers and the right-wing media reacted strongly to the news that China had brokered a restoration of diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia on Friday, blaming President Joe Biden for ...

State Department Spox: U.S. Not Being Supplanted by China in Mideast as “Some Allege”

The U.S. State Department dismissed suggestions that China’s brokering of a diplomatic thaw between Iran and Saudi Arabia reflects a diminishment of the United States’s influence in the Middle East. Spokesperson Ned Price told ...

What is The China-Global South Project?

Independent

The China-Global South Project is passionately independent, non-partisan and does not advocate for any country, company or culture.

News

A carefully curated selection of the day’s most important China-Global South stories. Updated 24 hours a day by human editors. No bots, no algorithms.

Analysis

Diverse, often unconventional insights from scholars, analysts, journalists and a variety of stakeholders in the China-Global South discourse.

Networking

A unique professional network of China-Africa scholars, analysts, journalists and other practioners from around the world.