Is This The New Middle East? U.S. Military, Russian Diplomacy, And Chinese Money?

USA World

Tom O’Connor, Newsweek: The New Middle East: U.S. Military, Russia’s Diplomacy and China’s Money

The United States’ decision to abandon its posts in northern Syria was not simply the result of an abrupt decision by President Donald Trump, but the product of a longer, systematic shift in the balance of power across the Middle East, where Russia and China have established new, leading roles.

The recent handover of U.S. military positions in Syria’s northern city of Manbij to Russian forces, first reported by Newsweek, was a symbolic moment in this trend, a move that accompanied Syrian and Russian troops moving into a number of outposts once occupied by the Pentagon. The event occurred as Russian President Vladimir Putin made high-profile visits to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, two close U.S. partners increasingly convinced of Russia’s weight in the region.

Read more ….

WNU Editor: The Middle East is becoming a very crowded place.