The fallacy of great-power rivalry in the Middle East
The US can avoid its past mistakes by focusing on human rights, rather than countering Russia or China.
Kevin L. Schwartz is a Research Fellow at the Oriental Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague where he focuses on Iran. He was previously a research fellow at the Library of Congress and Distinguished Visiting Professor (Middle East Chair) at the US Naval Academy. His writing on Iran, US foreign policy, and the Middle East has appeared in Al Jazeera, The Hill, LobeLog, War on the Rocks, The New Arab, and elsewhere. His research on the history and culture of Iran and the Persianate world has been featured in The International Journal of Middle East Studies and other academic journals, and resulted in the book Remapping Persian Literary History, 1700-1900 (Edinburgh University Press). He holds a PhD in Near Eastern Studies from the University of California, Berkeley.
The US can avoid its past mistakes by focusing on human rights, rather than countering Russia or China.
In places like Tunisia, Algeria, Sudan, and Libya, the three countries have sought to stymie citizen uprisings, meddle in elections, arm allies, strengthen military rule, and wage disinformation campaigns.