At a time when the Islamic Republic has lost most of its influence in the Middle East it looked especially vulnerable. That it gets to host troops from Russia, China, India and the rest of the SCO members gives Tehran a bit of a lift.

I suspect a turn away from great power competition will result in a lot more regional competitions, and less predictability in international politics.

Nobody in the Western hemisphere wants to be part of a MAGA-led bloc, and most of Asia's advanced economies are repelled by Xi's PRC.

Since neither Trump nor Xi have especially compelling models for how the world's supposed to work, I don't see this spheres of influence model being very successful.

That the US is being terribly governed and mismanaging its international relations doesn't make up for the fact that the same is true for China.

I take issue with the triumphalism expressed by some of the Chinese think tankers and and academics here, but I haven't actually been to China since 2019, so maybe the mood is more optimistic than I hear from Chinese friends and colleagues.

Agree - among several, this is a fantastic book. I return to it frequently.

If you have an idea for a book on Asia-Middle East check out the series page and send me a pitch: www.routledge.com/Changing-Dyn...