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Politics
Daniel Lincoln, Policy Research Analyst, Geopolitics, The China Institute, University of Alberta

The year ahead in the Middle East: A weakened Iran has big implications for China

Iran Middle East China Hamas Hezbollah
Iran's diminished status in the Middle East means China will likely be compelled to develop stronger ties with other nations in the region, including Saudi Arabia. (Shutterstock)

The wheels of history have been turning rapidly in the Middle East over the last year.

For a significant period of time, Iran’s status as a rising power within the region has been regarded as a consistent reality in assessing Middle Eastern geopolitics. But events since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel have seen Iran’s position in the region erode substantially. The balance of power in the Middle East has consequently been irreversibly altered.

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