- Dr. James M. Dorsey
- September 20, 2021
- Paper No. 2156
The Gulf states will closely monitor the way Russia and China handle the perceived security vacuum in the wake of the US withdrawal and abandonment, for all practical purposes, of Central Asia. They wish to determine to what degree those countries might be viable alternatives for a no longer reliable US security umbrella in the Middle East.ย They are also likely to push to strengthen regional alliances, especially with Israel.