Trump and Xi Jingping summit: How are the United States and China redefining their relationship?

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As tensions over trade, Taiwan, technology, and global influence intensify, the meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping may determine the future balance of power between Washington and Beijing. By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj | Sulaimani, Iraq | 13 May 2026 — Kurdish Policy Analysis "We don't have permanent allies and we don't have permanent enemies, only our interests are permanent, and we have to follow them." – Henry John Temple. The root of the current Strait of Hormuz tensions is not only about shipping routes or oil prices, but also about the final collapse of the historical US concept towards Beijing. However, the 2025 National Security Strategy, released by the White House in November, says this was a historic mistake because China used the assets it accumulated to strengthen itself and compete with the West, not to become their partner. For many years, the United States alone maintained maritime security; The fifth US ship in Manama, Bahrain, worked only to keep o...

The Middle East After Iran: The New Order No One Is Ready For

 A new regional security order will take shape while Tehran is preoccupied with internal conditions.

Kurdish Policy Analysis

The war in Iran is likely to wind down soon – at least in its current phase – making this a moment to step back from battlefield minutiae and assess the emerging balance of power in the Middle East. How the Iranian regime will evolve remains uncertain, but the country as a whole is poised.

Iran is weakening, and a new regional security order is beginning to take shape. This emerging framework will be defined by both opportunities and vulnerabilities, reflecting the uneven distribution of power and the competing ambitions of regional actors. The United States’ strategic challenge is to cultivate a system that leverages allies and partners to maintain stability while minimizing direct involvement. Success will hinge on balancing influence and distance, allowing Washington to advance its broader retrenchment strategy without being drawn back into prolonged regional entanglements.

As fighting in Iran appears to be entering a quieter phase, attention is turning from the battlefield to the broader strategic consequences, with analysts warning that a new regional security order is already beginning to take shape.

The conflict, while not fully resolved, has left Iran internally preoccupied, creating an opening for rival powers and long-standing U.S. partners to recalibrate their positions across the Middle East.

Experts say the weakening of Tehran’s influence could mark a turning point, but caution that the outcome remains uncertain as the trajectory of the Iranian regime itself is still unclear.

“Iran is weakening, and a new regional security order is emerging,” analysts note, describing a landscape shaped by both opportunity and instability.

The evolving framework is expected to reflect an uneven distribution of power, with regional actors competing to fill gaps left by Iran’s reduced capacity. This could lead to new alignments but also fresh vulnerabilities, particularly in contested zones where influence has long been fragmented.

For the United States, the challenge will be to shape this transition without becoming deeply entangled. Washington is expected to rely more heavily on regional allies and partners to uphold stability, while maintaining a degree of strategic distance.

Such an approach aligns with broader U.S. efforts to reduce direct military commitments in the region, though analysts warn that striking the right balance will be difficult.

“Success will depend on leveraging partnerships without being pulled back into prolonged conflicts,” one assessment said.

As the situation evolves, the emerging order is likely to redefine power dynamics across the region, with the post-conflict phase in Iran proving as consequential as the war itself.

#Iran #MiddleEast #Geopolitics #USForeignPolicy #PowerShift #RegionalSecurity #BreakingNews #Kurdistan #GlobalPolitics #Analysis


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