Middle East Briefs
Middle East Briefs deliver concise, accessible analyses of pressing political, social and economic issues. By addressing misconceptions, offering crucial historical and social context, and introducing fresh insights, they deepen our understanding of the region’s complexities.
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November 2025 – China and the Geoeconomic Transformation of the Middle East
Middle East Brief 166 (Summary) — Why have Arab governments been so restrained in their response to the Gaza War? As Nader Habibi argues in our latest Middle East Brief, their restraint reflects a broader set of regional calculations, driven in large part by a new logic that favors economic development and stability over confrontation and marks a shift from geopolitics to geoeconomics. China’s rise as the Middle East’s leading trade and investment partner has accelerated this transformation, offering economic engagement without political conditions and compelling the United States to recalibrate its approach to a region increasingly shaped by economic interdependence rather than military competition. Habibi concludes that this emerging order is redefining the balance of power between Washington and Beijing, and reshaping how Middle Eastern states are pursuing influence across the region.
Nader Habibi is the Henry J. Leir Professor of the Economics of the Middle East at the Crown Center.
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Middle East Briefs have been cited in mainstream publications such as The Guardian, The Washington Post and Foreign Affairs, and they frequently appear on course syllabi.
The opinions and findings expressed in the Middle East Briefs belong to the author(s) exclusively and do not reflect those of the Crown Center or Brandeis University.