From A By-stander to A Constructor:China and the Middle East Security Governance

In the 21st century,Middle East conflicts can generally be classified into four types,namely,conflicts between outside powers and Middle East countries,between Middle East countries themselves,between different political parties and religious sects within a sovereign country,as well as transnational and cross-bordering conflicts.The mode of China’s participation in Middle East security governance includes the political,security and social conflicts.There are three categories of domestic mechanisms in Chinese practice,specifically,the special envoy mechanism by Chinese Foreign Ministry,the procession and peace-keeping mechanisms by Chinese Defense Ministry and the foreign aid mechanism by Chinese Ministry of Commerce.The China-Arab States Cooperation Forum,the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation,the UN and other international organizations constitute the major international regimes for China’s security governance.China’s Middle East security governance creates not only“public goods”for the region,but also a means for China to build constructive great power relations with the US,EU and Russia,among others.The styles of Chinese and Western security governance in the Middle East vary,and the Chinese side places more emphasis on improving the Middle East people’s well-being at the top of the agenda,following“up-bottom”roadmap,and seeking an incremental,consultative,inclusive,and selective governance in the Middle East conflict resolution.

Marriage Without Certificate： On Syria-Iran Quasi-alliance From the Iranian Revolution to the Arab Revolution

Syria and Iran have formed a special relation in the past four decades. While researchers of international relations have probed deeply into alliance theory in the past half century, current literature in this field can hardly explain the informal mechanism for Syria-Iran security cooperation. To unravel the puzzle, this paper attempts to put forward a new hypothesis： quasi-alliance. Based on an empirical study of Syria-Iran special relations in the past four decades, it reveals that quasi-alliance is a unique model for security cooperation in international arena paralleling with formal alliance, and its security arrangement has an unique logic, dynamics, mode of management and attributes. In the new framework of analysis, this paper touches down upon the origins, channels, features and tests of Syria-Iran quasi-alliance by focusing on the diplomatic history of their bilateral relations from 1979 to 2017. The bilateral quasi-alliance practice has undergone three stages of combating Iraqi aggression in 1980s, curbing Israel-Turkey axis in 1990s and balancing U.S.-Israel-Saudi-Turkey coalition in the 21st century, particularly since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war.

Adjustment of Obama’s Middle East Policy and the Trend of the Region’s Hot-spot Issues

There are three dynamics and five attributes for the Obama administration’s adjustment in its Middle East policy.The changing Middle East policy highlights the following points:shifting anti-terror battlefield from Iraq to Afghanistan,withdrawing troops from Iraq in a step-by-step manner,taking a positive attitude towards Palestine-Israel peace talks,striving to initiate a face-to-face dialogue with Iran,and settling international disputes by diplomatic means.However,the solution to Middle East hot-spot issues hinges on some uncertain factors which are the most important and most challenging part in the Obama administration’s foreign policy.

Analysis on the New Round of Turmoil in Egypt

The political situation in Egypt has suddenly changed.President Morsi was ousted by the military after one-year in office.The Muslim Brotherhood’s ineptitude in many fields caused Morsi’s downfall.Egypt,which is entering a new round of turmoil,may be confronted with fierce struggles among all parties.The contest between the Muslin Brotherhood and the military will be intensified.It will be difficult for the interim government to make any achievements.The foreign interference will be strengthened unceasingly,and both the military and the oppositions will face challenges.

Turkey-Iran Reconciliatory Relations:Internal and External Factors

As the two main powers in the Middle East,Turkey and Iran have for several centuries been constrained in the structural contradiction by factors such as the leadership in the Islamic world,the influence of geopolitics,the unrest of the minority nationalities,and the difference of political patterns.However,the relations between the two nations have obviously improved in recent years with the change in the political situation in the Middle East and the promotion of its political development and economic problems and the political Islamism inside the two nations.Actually the improvement of the relations between Turkey and Iran has played an important role in balancing the interference of the US force and maintaining the peace and the stability in this region.But since the structural contradiction between the two nations is not easy to overcome,it will depend on the development of the situation in the region and the two nations to decide their future relations between them.

Russian,Chinese and Indian Ambivalence Policies on Iranian Nuclear Question

The Iran policy of Russia,China and India is one of ambivalence.While going along with the US-sponsored resolution in the United Nations to end the alleged Iranian nuclear weapon program,the three nations have been opposed to any“crippling sanctions”against Iran.The current paper analyzes this policy of ambivalence and attributes it to a curious mix of convergence and divergence of their interests with the Persian nation.It also recommends how Tehran could mould this policy in its favor.

A Research on the Causes of Turkey-Israel Discord

Turkey and Israel used to be the closest alliance in the Middle East region.But in recent years,the relation between the two nations has totally reversed.The reasons that lead to the deterioration of the two nations’relation including:the influence of the personal ideology orientation and characteristic of the political leaders,the factors of the social tidal current changing and the political situation developing inside the related nations,and the internationalization and the complication trend of the Kurds problem caused by the regional and international political change after the Iraq War.Especially,the crisis in the relation between Turkey and Israel not only has resulted in the reset of the security alliance among the nations in the region,but will also bring more uncertainties to the future of the Middle East peace process and the development trend of the multinational Kurds problem in this region.