... the Middle East, as this could damage its core interests, which remain centered on trade and economic cooperation, provoking new tensions with the United States.
Yuliya Alekseeva:
China in the Mashriq: New Best Friend
As a key trading partner of the Gulf states, China has more than
doubled
its oil imports between 2010 and 2020. Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, Kuwait and the UAE act as key oil suppliers to the Middle Kingdom. Chinese companies are expanding their footprint in infrastructure and technology ...
... military presence in the area and most importantly calls for a US withdrawal from the region. Without the United States, Iran would become the de facto regional hegemonic power with no credible balance in place [
17
]. A coordinated approach by the GCC making a counter-offer on the basis of a limited crisis management mechanism specifically focused on maritime security in the Gulf would probably be a more appropriate basis for a fruitful discussion.
Russia and Iran in Syria and Beyond: Challenges Ahead. RIAC and the Institute for Iran-Eurasia Studies Working Paper
The proposed mechanism would be somewhat similar to the pattern ...
... Gulf states have essentially adopted a procurement strategy. That their interests will be defended by making sufficient arms purchases from the U.S. to lock America into a certain position. There’s a K Street lobbying strategy—that is not unique to Gulf states, virtually everyone engages in that, but some have more resources to put into that effort than others. By the way, K Street, the lobbying firms in Washington, are the happiest the longer this internal GCC dispute carries on, with each side generously compensating a phalanx of American firms to effectively cancel each other out and waste resources that could surely be better invested. I would suggest that the approach pursued by Gulf states to securing ...
... indeed yield better bilateral relations between Iran and some of its neighbours, it does not necessarily guarantee progress in terms of multilateral dialogue. If rewarding for the Iranians, this is not the best way forward. A coordinated approach by the GCC making a counter-offer on the basis on a limited crisis management mechanism specifically focused on the maritime security in the Gulf (and taking off the table some Iranian proposals such as those related to foreign military bases, which are not realistic for the time being) would be much more appropriate.
Such a mechanism would be somewhat similar to the pattern of interaction ...
... threat to their interests. The fact that John Kerry gets to spend more time with Javad Zarif, Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, than any other envoy in the world speaks volumes about America’s foreign policy priorities, which makes the GCC so outraged. In their view militarily and politically Washington has been heavily reliant on the Gulf monarchies in the last two decades, so engaging with Iran is not exactly how they would like to see their favor returned.
Even before Camp David kicked off many analysts rushed to label it as a failure. The only two heads of state coming to the six-nation ...