# Multimedia 

Multimedia 

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Spotify 

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Cato Weekly Podcast • July 17, 2025 

# Aimless Rivalry: US and China in the Middle East 

Justin Logan and Jon Hoffman delve into Hoffman’s latest policy analysis, “Aimless Rivalry: The Futility of US China Competition in the Middle East.” They debunk justifications for US Middle East policy based on competition with China and challenge prevailing narratives in international relations. Tune in for a thorough discussion that puts threats in context and examines US policy through a skeptical lens.

\- **Related Article:** [The Case for Withdrawing from the Middle East](https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/2023-02/justin-logan-defense-priorities-9-30-20.pdf).

#### Show Notes 

[![US China Aimless Rivalry PA](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/content_teaser/public/2025-07/GettyImages-1454705651.jpg?itok=k4JbTgwR)](https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/aimless-rivalry) 

Study 

### [Aimless Rivalry](/policy-analysis/aimless-rivalry) 

By [Jon Hoffman](https://www.cato.org/people/jon-hoffman) 

Instead of doubling down on decades of failed policies and reaching for a new justification for America’s expansive presence in the Middle East, Washington should begin disentangling itself from the region.

[![afghanistan](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/content_teaser/public/wp-content/uploads/afghanistan.jpg?itok=eh-GMTPi)](https://www.cato.org/commentary/why-middle-east-still-doesnt-matter) 

Commentary 

### [Why the Middle East Still Doesn’t Matter](/commentary/why-middle-east-still-doesnt-matter) 

By [Justin Logan](https://www.cato.org/people/justin-logan) 

The Middle East, from a military point of view, is little more than a waste of time. 

[![iran-Saudi-Arabia.jpg](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/content_teaser/public/2021-05/iran-Saudi-Arabia.jpg?itok=AwtgxRHk)](https://www.cato.org/cato-handbook-policymakers/cato-handbook-policymakers-9th-edition-2022/middle-east-security) 

Cato Handbook for Policymakers 

### [Middle East Security](/cato-handbook-policymakers/cato-handbook-policymakers-9th-edition-2022/middle-east-security) 

By [Justin Logan](https://www.cato.org/people/justin-logan) 

[![Chinese flag](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/content_teaser/public/2021-05/GettyImages-509311994.jpg?itok=7ZPR0Z4N)](https://www.cato.org/commentary/us-has-nothing-fear-china-middle-east) 

Commentary 

### [The U.S. Has Nothing to Fear from China in the Middle East](/commentary/us-has-nothing-fear-china-middle-east) 

By [Jon Hoffman](https://www.cato.org/people/jon-hoffman) 

By viewing every development in the Middle East through the framework of zero-sum competition with China, the U.S. is operating on faulty assumptions that result in counterproductive policies.

[![](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/content_teaser/public/brightcove/videos/images/posters/image_34606.jpg?itok=qwFxdSzE)](https://www.cato.org/multimedia/media-highlights-tv/jon-hoffman-participates-event-us-china-competition-value-middle) 

Media Highlights TV 

### [Jon Hoffman participates in the event, “U.S.-China competition and the value of Middle East influence,” hosted by Defense Priorities](/multimedia/media-highlights-tv/jon-hoffman-participates-event-us-china-competition-value-middle) 

Featuring [Jon Hoffman](https://www.cato.org/people/jon-hoffman) 

[![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) 
This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/). 

##### Featuring 

[![Jon Hoffman cropped](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2024-05/jon-hoffman-portrait-cropped.jpg?itok=_ZK8UIoh)](/people/jon-hoffman) 

##### [Jon Hoffman](/people/jon-hoffman)

Research Fellow, Cato Institute

[ 

](https://x.com/Hoffman8Jon) [ 

](mailto:jhoffman@cato.org) 

[![Justin Logan cropped portrait new](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2023-08/Justin-Logan-cropped.jpg?itok=1xXiDWfG)](/people/justin-logan) 

##### [Justin Logan](/people/justin-logan)

Director of Defense and Foreign Policy Studies, Cato Institute

[ 

](https://x.com/JustinTLogan) [ 

](mailto:jlogan@cato.org)