Greater Middle East may force China to project military power sooner rather than later
Recent months have not been necessarily kind to Chinese aspirations of remaining aloof to conflict beyond its borders.
James M. Dorsey is a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, a syndicated columnist and the author of the blog, The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer. A veteran, award-winning foreign correspondent whose career focused on ethnic and religious conflict, James focuses at RSIS on political and social change in the Middle East and North Africa, the impact of change in the Middle East and North Africa on Southeast and Central Asia and the nexus of sports, politics and society in the Middle East and North Africa and Asia.
Recent months have not been necessarily kind to Chinese aspirations of remaining aloof to conflict beyond its borders.
The Saudi-UAE rivalry and the ambitions of their leaders make it unlikely that the two crown princes will look at structural ways of managing differences.
With Palestinians accounting for more than 40 percent of Jordan’s population, maintaining the status quo in Jerusalem is key to ensuring regime survival.
The country has long viewed its ties to China as a strategic partnership, but recently it seems to be exploring a more independent course.