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Despite a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, the failure of marathon talks in Pakistan over the weekend to achieve a quick breakthrough pointed to the long odds for a diplomatic solution.
While that outcome will be lamented by many, silver linings abound in the halls of power in China and Russia. So argues Tufts University scholar and international relations expert Jeffrey Taliaferro.
That’s because America’s latest Middle East intervention, despite badly bruising an Iran allied to China and Russia, presents even worse problems for the U.S. Generally, Taliaferro says, the two countries benefit from an erosion of U.S. interests in global leadership, economics, international relations strategy and Middle East influence.
For Russia, the war’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has meant needed revenue as a result of rising oil prices and the U.S. decision to ease its sanctions on Moscow.
For China, a country that has already demonstrated its ability to withstand the worst of Trump’s tariff threats, the long-term outlook is particularly salient.
“In general, the Iran war adds weight to Beijing’s worldview that the U.S.-led liberal international order is over,” Taliaferro writes.
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