As geopolitical competition intensifies and energy security remains paramount, Japan and South Korea are recalibrating their roles in the Middle East. Despite a long-standing economic and strategic rivalry, both countries—key East Asian middle powers—now face a shared imperative: to cooperate on issues ranging from maritime security and defense diplomacy to renewable energy and Gaza reconstruction. This policy paper explores how Tokyo and Seoul can balance competition with pragmatic collaboration to advance mutual interests and contribute to regional stability.

As geopolitical competition intensifies and energy security remains paramount, Japan and South Korea are recalibrating their roles in the Middle East. Despite a long-standing economic and strategic rivalry, both countries—key East Asian middle powers—now face a shared imperative: to cooperate on issues ranging from maritime security and defense diplomacy to renewable energy and Gaza reconstruction. This policy paper explores how Tokyo and Seoul can balance competition with pragmatic collaboration to advance mutual interests and contribute to regional stability.

As geopolitical competition intensifies and energy security remains paramount, Japan and South Korea are recalibrating their roles in the Middle East. Despite a long-standing economic and strategic rivalry, both countries—key East Asian middle powers—now face a shared imperative: to cooperate on issues ranging from maritime security and defense diplomacy to renewable energy and Gaza reconstruction. This policy paper explores how Tokyo and Seoul can balance competition with pragmatic collaboration to advance mutual interests and contribute to regional stability.

The 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June 2025 sent shockwaves through the Gulf, not for its immediate economic damage, but for what it revealed: the fragility of the Gulf’s security assumptions, the limits of U.S. protection, and the looming threat to vital trade routes. While oil prices and markets quickly rebounded, the psychological and strategic consequences have left Gulf states grappling with new uncertainties. This analysis explores the conflict’s economic aftermath and what it means for the future of GCC resilience, defense, and diplomacy.

The Red Sea has been at the center of a radical shift in the global maritime security landscape since October 2023, when Yemen’s Houthis (also known as Ansar Allah) launched a campaign of repeated attacks on commercial and military vessels in one of the world’s most important waterways. These attacks, which the Houthis announced were… Continue reading Yemen’s Quagmire: Why Isn’t U.S. Might Winning?