How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests
And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.
My Stanford colleague Abbas Milani and I tried to assess the implications for American national interests of the Chinese-brokered restoration of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia in Foreign Policy. At first glance, the deal looks like a setback for the U.S., a signal of declining American influence in the Middle East and rising Chinese influence. If you dig a little deeper, however, there positive benefits for the United States and maybe long-term pitfalls for China. Check out our take and let me know what you think. I tackle this subject in depth in my forthcoming book, so eager for feedback.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/03/14/china-saudi-iran-us-middle-east-geopolitics-diplomacy/
It's nice to read a nuanced and detailed perspective on this, thank you. All I keep seeing are articles saying that after this event, US influence in the Middle East is done, forever, end of story, goodnight. And I appreciate the broader historical context to US decisions and their consequences. Any chance the two authors could write up a similar summary in an op-ed in a widely read newspaper or two (to help squash all of the doomsday articles I mentioned above)?
Is the full article pay-walled? can't see it through McFaul World