The traditional Middle East is disappearing, replaced by a West Asia that is increasingly defined by its ties to the East. This shift represents the Asianization of the region, as power is reorganized around AI infrastructure, trade corridors, energy transition, and migration flows rather than the ideological rivalries and external interventions of the past.
As the Gulf positions itself as a global hub for technology, capital, and connectivity, the region is becoming a central player in the evolving international order. What does this reorientation mean for global power dynamics, and what does it mean for America to pivot from “nation-building” to “order-building” in a space increasingly shaped by Asian powers and a tech-driven Gulf?
This event examines the strategic implications of West Asia’s transformation and how the United States can adapt its grand strategy to a region undergoing structural change.
Agenda
1:00 — Lunch & socializing for in-person participants
1:30 — Discussion begins
2:30 — Q&A
3:00 — Event end
Featured Speakers
Mohammed Soliman, Author, West Asia: A New American Grand Strategy in the Middle East
Daniel Markey, Senior Fellow, The Stimson Center
Emma Ashford, Senior Fellow, The Stimson Center (Moderator)