Think of the Middle East as a giant chessboard stretching from Turkey’s European border in the West to Iran’s border with Afghanistan in the East. On this surface, two global powers – China and the United States – are playing out a strategic power game. Theirs is not a traditional military battle over territory but a tactical struggle for control of international capital and natural resources.
Of course the Middle East is not neutral in this game. The region’s 22 countries – and their competing interests – don’t always provide a stable base on which to play. However, the region is united on one point: the need to reduce the international domination of the United States. In China, the Middle East sees an opportunity to do just that.
