The Middle East is becoming an increasingly contested arena in the emerging strategic competition between the United States and China. For global hubs like Dubai, this rivalry threatens to upend long-standing economic models built on openness, interconnectivity, and neutral ground. As tensions escalate, the region faces difficult choices about how to navigate great power politics without sacrificing prosperity or autonomy. Can countries like the UAE maintain their balancing act—or will they be forced to choose sides in a new global divide?

In this episode, Joshua Yaphe speaks with Mohammed Baharoon, Director General of the Dubai Public Policy Research Center (b’huth). Baharoon previously served as a reporter for “Al Arabi” Magazine and Al Ittihad newspaper, and then as an editor for Gulf Defence Magazine before starting as director of research at b’huth.

Music by Ashot Danielyan from Pixabay.