Author: Halil Ibrahim Buyukmehmetoglu

Amid the evolving dynamics of global politics and in an era of great power competition, can the United States afford to divert its focus to regional conflicts at the expense of its strategic priorities? Prominent leaders and policymakers—from President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Henry Kissinger—have all consistently highlighted that China is the U.S.’s primary strategic competitor. Yet, over the past two decades, U.S. foreign policy has been largely driven by immediate crises in the Middle East and other regions. As a result, China, its primary geopolitical adversary, has gained the…