Project Freedom FAILS: what it reveals about US power in the Gulf

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of Project Freedom's failure on US power in the Gulf and China's rising influence in the region.

As Gulf leaders look to Beijing for guarantees Washington no longer seems able to give, China is suddenly at the centre of diplomacy around the Strait of Hormuz. The UAE’s Mohammed bin Zayed and Iran’s foreign minister both arrived in Beijing within days of each other, seeking a way out of a blockade that has choked shipping routes, pushed tankers around the Cape of Good Hope, and rattled global markets. So where does this leave Donald Trump’s efforts to revive a deal that could reopen the Strait, and what does the collapse of Project Freedom reveal about America’s standing with its allies in the Gulf and Europe? In this episode of The Fourcast Indicators, Matt Frei and Mark Urban are joined by former Senior Director at the US National Security Council during Donald Trump’s first administration Fiona Hill to examine China’s growing leverage over Iran, the Gulf states’ deepening unease with Washington, and the diplomatic pressure building ahead of the delayed Trump-Xi summit.

People in this episode

Hosts: Matt Frei, Mark Urban

Guest: Fiona Hill

Topics covered

• US foreign policy
• Gulf diplomacy
• China's influence
• Iran relations
• Project Freedom
• Trump administration
• Global markets

Keywords

• Project Freedom
• US National Security
• Gulf States
• China diplomacy
• Iran
• Donald Trump
• Strait of Hormuz
• global markets

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: US National Security Council

Places: United States, UAE, Iran, China, Strait of Hormuz

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