As the 21st century proceeded, U.S dominance of the affairs of the "[[Middle East]]" eroded. Iran has created a politico-military sphere of influence in the [[Fertile Crescent]] (Iraq, Lebanon, [[Palestine]], Syria) and [[Yemen]] at the expense of Saudi Arabia and the United States. Despite the resurgence in Russian influence and intermittent [[French]] attempts to reassert a leading role in [[Lebanon]], regional rather than external powers began to drive politico-military rivalries and dynamics there. China is displacing other [[great power]]s as the region's largest economic partner, but the Middle East is no longer in the sphere of influence of any great power or divided between several, as in the past. | As the 21st century proceeded, U.S dominance of the affairs of the "[[Middle East]]" eroded. Iran has created a politico-military sphere of influence in the [[Fertile Crescent]] (Iraq, Lebanon, [[Palestine]], Syria) and [[Yemen]] at the expense of Saudi Arabia and the United States. Despite the resurgence in Russian influence and intermittent [[French]] attempts to reassert a leading role in [[Lebanon]], regional rather than external powers began to drive politico-military rivalries and dynamics there. China is displacing other [[great power]]s as the region's largest economic partner, but the Middle East is no longer in the sphere of influence of any great power or divided between several, as in the past. |