Thread by @GeringTuvia

"This rare moment of calm in the Middle East's long history of chaotic wars is a gift to the people of the region and a blessing for the rest of the world" - CICIR President Yuan Peng joins a chorus of Chinese analysts who've begun to acknowledge the existence of "a new ME".
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CICIR, a think tank affiliated with the Ministry of State Security and overseen by the CCP's Central Committee, has released its annual International Strategy and Security Situation Assessment. I recommend reading the report's preface by Yuan. MENA-relevant excerpts:
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"Following the withdrawal of US forces, the ME has shown a level of calm not seen in years. Several countries have begun a gradual transition, the Iranian nuclear issue has returned to the negotiating table, and relations between Israel and Arab countries, in general, have eased.

"This rare moment of calm in the Middle East's long history of chaotic wars is a gift to the people of the region and a blessing for the rest of the world."
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"While the world's attention is focused on the Indo-Pacific region, the African continent, which is far from the global geostrategic center, had an exceptional year in 2021.
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"The civil war in Ethiopia, riots in South Africa, coups in Mali, Sudan, and Guinea, terror in the Sahel, and the Omicron outbreak have thrown the continent into turmoil, with not only the world's lowest economic growth rate but also the most upheaval in the last 20 years.
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"If this trend is not reversed, Africa will sooner or later become the eye of the storm in the international security situation, and the continent will become a testing ground for cooperation among major powers rather than an arena for great power competition.
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"Turkey joined six other countries - Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Azerbaijan - on November 12, 2021, to form the so-called "Organization of Turkic States," which drew international attention.
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"From the preceding "Summit of Turkic-speaking States" and "Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States" to the present, the organization has evolved quickly, and its goals obviously transcend beyond "organization."
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"It is evident that its goal is to not only "organize," but also to follow in the footsteps of the EU, ASEAN, and the Arab League in forming the so-called "Union of Turkic States."
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"This indicates that, after the EU, the Eurasian Economic Union, and the SCO, a new special force has developed in the geostrategic core of the planet, which overlaps but differs from the established institutions.
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"With the current Russian-European conflict, Russia-Ukraine enmity, Turkey's ambitions, and the upheavals in Afghanistan, Eurasia is likely to exit the 30-year post-Cold War transition period and enter a new era of immense uncertainty."
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Link: mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzAxMz…