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Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping enter the hall during a signing ceremony on May 20, 2026, in Beijing, China. (Getty Images)
Middle East
Middle East
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(Screenshot via CNN)
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China's national flag flutters in the wind next to the CITIC tower on May 12, 2026, in Beijing, China. (Getty Images)
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(Screenshot via YouTube)
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(Screenshot via Fox News)
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US soldiers stage Stryker vehicles and perform maintenance checks before convoy operations across Germany in support of Sword 26 at Vilseck, Germany, on April 27, 2026. (US Army Reserve)
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A tanker carrying imported crude oil docks at the Qingdao Port Tanker Terminal in Qingdao, China, on May 9, 2026. (Getty Images)
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US Navy MH-60 Sea Hawk helicopters are supporting Project Freedom in and near the Strait of Hormuz on May 5, 2026. (US Navy)
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(Screenshot via Fox Business)
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(Screenshot via YouTube)
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(Screenshot via CNN)
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An MV-22 Osprey prepares to take off on the flight deck of USS Tripoli during Operation Epic Fury on April 2, 2026. (US Marine Corps)
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An Iran-flagged passenger vessel Atlas Pishro cruises near ships anchored in the Strait of Hormuz on May 2, 2026. (Getty Images)
Experts
Hillel Fradkin
Senior Fellow and Director, Center on Islam, Democracy, and the Future of the Muslim World
Husain Haqqani
Senior Fellow
Ludovic Hood
Senior Fellow, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East
Can Kasapoğlu
Senior Fellow (Nonresident)
William Luti
Adjunct Fellow
Joel Rayburn
Senior Fellow, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East
Zineb Riboua
Research Fellow, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East
Peter Rough
Senior Fellow and Director, Center on Europe and Eurasia
Jonathan Schachter
Senior Fellow, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East
Abram N. Shulsky
Senior Fellow
Richard Weitz
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Political-Military Analysis
Nir Yaron
Visiting Fellow, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East
