Characteristics of Political Transition in the Middle East

The strategic withdrawal of the U.S.,the relaxation of strained relations between Israel and Arab countries,the waning of Political Islam,and the faltering foundation of the oil economy have contributed to the historical transition in Middle East politics.Global great powers,as well as Middle Eastern countries,have been shifting alliances in light of different issues.Such a concurrence of well-matched protagonists in Middle East politics and such a complicated divergence among camps have never occurred previously.Vacuums of order,ideologies,and resources have coexisted and interacted.Middle Eastern countries have been witnessing major changes unfolding globally,regionally,and domestically,which may usher in an era of chaos,change,or both.Compared with previous changes,the pending transition will reside to a larger extent in the hands of Middle Eastern countries and their people.

The Rise and Fall of Soviet-Egypt Special Relations, 1971-1974

This article is set to investigate the special relations between the Soviet Union and Egypt in early Sadat administration, 1971-1974. The Soviet-Egypt special relations were based on three factors-international system, states, and decision-makers. From the perspective of international system, since U.S. and Israel were the status quo powers, and the Soviet Union and Egypt were the revisionist countries that aimed to challenge such an unfavorable power structure, Moscow and Cairo were forced to form a coalition; from the national level, the pursuit of common security instead of economic interests became the important factor of promoting Soviet-Egypt special relations; from the decision-making level, the Soviet leaders viewed Egypt as the bridgehead to expand her interests in the Middle East. Likewise, Sadat acknowledged that the Soviet Union was the main source of obtaining advanced weapons on the one hand, but meanwhile was concerned that the Soviet Union could manipulate Egyptian leadership and may interfere in the internal affairs of Sadat administration. In fact, the two governments’ elites established asymmetrical special relations based on expediency and convenience, and hence such special relations were doom to fall apart with the shuttle diplomacy of Henry Kissinger, the US Secretary of State in late 1973.

The Belt and Road Initiatives and China＇s Middle East Energy Policy

The paper analyses the roots of the Belt and Road Initiative as well as China＇s Middle East Energy Policy in an age of great transformation. China＇s rapidly progressed economic growth leading to a dramatic increase in China＇s energy demand in recent years. The Middle East countries play a critical role in the international energy markets. Stable relations with the Middle East countries become increasingly important for Chinese energy security, and the continued development. The protection of these relations lies at the core of the Belt and Road Initiative. Within The Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese Middle East energy policy proceeds according to the energy cooperation framework known as ＂1＋2＋3＂, which seeks to build a reliable China-Arab strategic cooperative relationship based on long-term friendship. To avoid over dependence on the energy resources of the Middle East, China will also continue to search for other overseas energy sources and protect transportation channels. Despite risks and challenges associated with energy imports from the Middle East, China has cultivated strong relations with states in the region and will develop these economic ties further in the coming years.

百年大变局下的中欧经济合作:现状成就、困难阻力与有效措施

作为当今世界两大力量、两大市场、两大文明,中欧在世界政治和全球经济活动中的地位举足轻重。当前,世界正在经历百年未有之大变局,国际秩序和全球体系迎来深度的变革调整,欧盟也致力于在国际政治舞台上进阶更高席次、实现更大抱负。与此同时,我国正处在一个大有可为的历史机遇期,也面临世界百年大变局带来的外部环境变动和不确定性因素。因此,中欧推动双方合作迈上更高台阶,不仅能够保障各自的发展需求和国际地位,也符合双方规划设计的总体目标和长远利益,对彼此都具有重大的战略意义和全球影响。特别是随着国内消费升级、经济产业变革,促使服务业成为拉动中国经济发展的重要动力之一,中国开始更大规模地增加商品和服务进口,这给中欧经济合作注入了更强的动力和活力。

The Transformation of the International System and China’s Positive Diplomacy in the Middle East

The international system is at a historical moment of renewal.As the unipolar order declines,various forces are rising,among which China has already become an important force in constructing a new world order.Quiet but revolutionary changes have occurred in China's diplomatic philosophy and practices as the country becomes more deeply ingrained into the international system.Under the background of great changes,the political situation in the Middle East has also quietly changed..With the weakening of the impact of external forces,many new energies in this region are coming to life.The future development of relations between European and United States powers,and their policy changes will bring a far-reaching impact on the political situation in the Middle East.China's diplomacy in the Middle East will become more active and aggressive.Meanwhile,China will concentrate more on the multi-lateral cooperation and its co-ordination with Europe and United States.

Development of Sino-Arab Relations and the Evolution of China’s Middle East Policy in the New Era

China and the Arab countries enjoy a long history of friendly exchanges.During the Cold War period,significant accomplishments were achieved in their bilateral political cooperation.Recent years have witnessed the great success of comprehensive cooperation toward mutual benefits within the framework of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum.However,the turbulence in the Middle East and the U.S.Greater Middle East Initiative have emerged as a new challenge to the future development of bilateral relations.Yet China’s Middle East policy has not remained stagnant;its prompt readjustments have brought momentum to the healthy development of Sino-Arab bilateral relations.

近观与远望:研究张永和建筑实践的几个切入点

如何在一个大的历史和世界的背景下研究一位建筑师?如何在此大背景下研究现当代中国建筑?个体建筑师与整体建筑设计文化呈何种关系?建筑师自身的话语和历史地理大背景下的整体建筑学术判断,又是什么关系?在众多关于张永和的研究的当下,我们又有什么新的视角?本文试图在方法论上思考这些问题。本文以远观和近看的不同焦距,考察并提出研究张永和建筑实践的几个切入点:个体履历在世界地理上的穿梭;路径中的关键节点;1990年代后期关于“基本建筑”的提出的突破和意义;“基本建筑”与“叙事建筑”的内在关联性;三十年来“基本建筑”在实践中的扩充和渐变;张永和建筑实践的“话语”活动及其多重形式;建筑文化和建筑媒体的重要性;以及中美关系和中外关系在研究个体建筑师和整体中国建筑中的重要性。

The impact of China’s Consistent Stance on the Palestinian issue on the Embodiment of international pluralism

This study examined the impact of China’s firm position on the Palestinian issue on the embodiment of international multilateralism and strived to embody international multilateralism.And to clarify this effect,it is necessary first to highlight the depth of Chinese-Arab relations and common concern,such as China’s consistent position on the Palestinian issue and its quest to embody international pluralism in order to find appropriate solutions to the Palestinian issue in accordance with international law,then to focus on China’s consistent foreign policy towards the Middle East to promote stability and development with the success of the BRI in the region,and thirdly,to shed light on China’s stance on strengthening and materialising international cooperation to find appropriate solutions for the Palestinian issue,and finally,to focus attention on China’s diplomatic efforts to solve the Palestinian issue’a political solution based on international cooperation to implement the resolutions of international legitimacy’.This study relies on the historical method by tracing the historical sequence of events to reach the results that serve the subject of the study,as well as the descriptive analytical method,which is used to analyse information and events related to the subject of the study.The study concluded that the impact of China’s firm position on the Palestinian issue on the embodiment of international multilateralism is effective.Moreover,this study is a forward-looking survey of other studies aimed at anticipating the continuing impact of China’s firm stance on the Palestinian issue on the embodiment of international multilateralism,as it demonstrates seriousness and perseverance under the theme of’respect,mutual benefit and common destiny’in light of the challenges witnessed in the world today.

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.

Analysis on the Trends of the Middle East Turmoil

The extremist organization“IS”brought additional chaos to the Middle East.It is expected that Egypt will restore order.The main hot spot issues have witnessed some changes but are still hard to solve.The US is the producer of the Middle East turmoil.Internal disputes in the Middle East are still prevalent.China still has great potential to develop the friendship and cooperation with Middle East countries.

China’s Non-proliferation Policy and the Implementation of WMD Regimes in the Middle East

The interaction between China and the Middle East on the issue of arms transfer and non-proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction(WMD)has elicited great concern since the 1980s.It was also during this period that China was accused,primarily by the US,of being involved in WMD-related transfers to the Middle East.The paper examines China’s changing attitudes towards major international non-proliferation regimes and cases of US allegations of China’s exports of WMDs to the Middle East.It argues that China’s stance on abiding by the WMD regimes in the Middle East has been consistent with the principles of diplomacy which emphasizes peace and the pursuit of its good image as a responsible great power.China abides by the international WMD regimes and is seeking more cooperation in non-proliferation with other countries,and its efforts deserve acknowledgement.

The Middle East in China-Japan Relations: Shared Interests, Competition, and Rivalry Spillover

Since the early twenty-first century,interaction between East Asia and the Middle East has grown considerably.An expected,though understudied,consequence of this development is a gradual spillover of the intra-East Asian political process to the Middle East.Attempting to enhance the understanding of this understudied aspect of East-West Asia relations,as well as new aspects of the China-Japan dynamic,this article explores the competition and possible expansion of the Sino-Japanese rivalry into the Middle East.To examine more concretely we focus on two areas of activities that exceed China’s and Japan’s traditional interests in the Middle East:the utilisation of Middle East events by Japan to loosen its half-century restrictions on the use of military force,and China’s respective response;and Japan’s reaction to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Sino-US Strategic Dilemma–From the Perspective of Power Transition in Asia-Pacific and Middle East

The order in international system is defined as“a pattern or activity that sustains the elementary or primary goals of the society of states”.The objective including the maintenance of the international system and national survival of society itself is to safeguard national independence and sovereignty.The nature and practice of international hierarchy helps explain patterns of the international order after the Cold War and understand its transition,especially the role of China’s rise in international politics.The Asia-Pacific region has showed a stable political order generally,but events in the region still may lead to uncertainties of military conflict,such as the North Korean nuclear issue,the Taiwan question,terrorist attacks in the Middle East and Central Asia and so on.China’s rise will inevitably have an impact on US hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region.But China and the United States can work together to build an effective mechanism to address the challenges from regional security issues,to set up the sustainability of Asia-Pacific and the Middle East security decisions.This paper analyzes the concept of Sino-US Asia-Pacific and the Middle East strategic alternatives from maintaining the status quo;transition from the status quo must go through negotiation and dialogue to the transition of Asia-Pacific and the Middle East power structure.

Change of Russia’s Middle East Strategy and Its Influence on Russia-US Relations

In recent years,some kind of apparent change appears on Russia’s Middle East strategy,which is being converted from passive contraction to vigorous and initiative posture,with the potent feature of self-centered determination independent from outside world,and a tendency of initiating challenges.On some significant issues of Middle East,Russia openly demonstrates its disagreement with the US,and criticizes US Middle East Policy.As a matter of fact,Russia is now taking more and more active and initiative actions in the Middle East,so as to expand its influence in the Middle East,and challenge the leading role of US in this region.There are both economic elements and political factors shaping all the modifications and adjustments made by Russia on its Middle East strategy,which was figured out against a subtle and complex background.In the future,it is predicted that Russia will demonstrate more and more unique characteristics on Middle East affairs.Therefore,it seems that the US must pay more attention to the attitude and interest of Russia on Middle East affairs,and that a mixed spectrum between competition and cooperation will become the mainstream of Russia-US relations.

Tension between the Islamic Middle East and the International System:A Sub-state Perspective

This article focuses on the tension between the Islamic Middle East and the international community.After a brief study from the political,economic and cultural perspectives and a review of relevant documents and materials,the author has decided on the current research perspective.The sub-state actors in the Middle East mainly refer to religious and political organizations which can infiltrate into or influence this area or the international community,terrorist organizations of religious extremists,straddling groups and minority groups which seek independence or unification.Their major influence on the international community lies in their resistance against the present state weakens the nation state system in the Middle East and pushes anti-state/system movements;their significant role imposes a deep impact on the peace process in the Middle East;they lead to external intervention from the international system and growing tension between the Middle East and the international community.The root of the above-mentioned tension is that the combined actions of internal and external factors have made the Middle East system vulnerable and infiltrable,creating the soil for the rise of religious and political organizations and thus inspiring the anti-system movements of the sub-state actors in the Middle East.

The Middle East Oil and the Sino-US Relations

The strategic importance of the Middle East oil in China’s energy security had been and will continue to be prominent.China has been cultivating bilateral relationships with the Middle East oil-producing countries over the last decade.China’s energy pursuits in the Middle East have led to tensions in Sino-US relations and may also pose effect upon the American energy and security interests in the region.China should,with an aim to ensure its energy security and further boost its relations with the Middle East,make some necessary readjustments of its policies toward the Middle East and Africa while adhering to its established principles.

冷战后伊朗与印度关系的进展与现实困境

伊朗和印度都曾是殖民地国家,现同为发展中国家,各自是当代中东和南亚地区大国。由于历史文化相亲和地理相近,发展友好关系一直是两国外交的重要目标。冷战结束以来,伊朗和印度关系的发展摆脱两极格局的桎梏,在“提量”和“增质”上取得显著成果,在政治、经济、军事和安全领域取得程度各异的发展或突破。2007年以来,伊印双边关系发展受阻,呈现出政治和安全合作停滞、经济和军事关系受挫的基本态势。冷战后的伊印关系与冷战时期相似,依然表现出很强的外源性和较弱的抗干扰性。受美国因素、印度中东政策等因素的干扰与制约,伊印关系在未来较长时段仍将继续陷于困境而难有实质性突破。

中国式现代化对世界现代化的创新与超越

中国式现代化是应对世界之变、时代之变、历史之变的中国方案,释放了中国特色社会主义制度和治理体系的优越性,实现了中华优秀传统文化的创造性转化和创新性发展,推动了现代化的理论和实践创新,走出了和平发展的现代化新路。现代化道路在世界不同国家和地区呈现多样性,探索符合自身国情和客观实际的现代化道路是各国的重要课题。日本是“后发赶超型现代化”的典型,也是陷入“赶超后困境”的实例;中东国家很早就开始探寻适合自身的现代化道路,至今却依然面临物质生产、政治制度和意识形态困境;拉美国家获得独立后随即开启现代化历程,时至今日却仍处于过渡阶段,未能成功实现现代化。中国式现代化打破了“现代化=西方化”的理论迷信,拓展了发展中国家实现现代化的新模式,虽源于中国,却属于世界,是一项十分重要的国际公共产品,可为发展中国家提供启发。2023年3月15日,北京外国语大学国际关系学院举办“中国式现代化的世界意义”学术研讨会,十余位知名专家学者就中国式现代化的学理意涵和世界意义展开深入交流,会后本刊组织其中六位专家撰稿,以推动学界对中国式现代化的研究走向深入。

裂痕的加深:1958年黎巴嫩危机与美法关系

1958年黎巴嫩危机的起源有着复杂的国内外因素。夏蒙企图连任及亲美政策引发的政治风波是内因,而中东卷入冷战政治则是外因。夏蒙去留的政治方案、出兵中东的军事方案、联合国内外的国际方案交错进行,最终促成了危机的解决。美法两国在危机中并不缺乏沟通,然而受各自的利益及其在中东地位的影响,两国在每一个方案上都不一致。美法在黎巴嫩危机上的矛盾是战后美法分歧的继续,美英抛开法国的出兵行动尤其加深了美法同盟的裂痕,进一步促使法国走向独立自主的外交道路。