Why Middle Powers Need a Silver-Linings Playbook

When President Donald Trump sits down for talks with China’s Xi Jinping this week, the focus will be on whether the world’s two-biggest powers can stabilize a fraught relationship. But it is the countries caught in between that have been forced to navigate the fallout from the geopolitical storm. Their efforts to build networks of resilience offer a rare reason for quiet optimism — a silver-linings playbook for middle powers.

This is a coping strategy born of necessity, yet it is already reshaping the architecture of a fragile global system. By broadening partnerships and avoiding overdependence on any single power, these nations are reducing their exposure to both Washington and Beijing.