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China and Russia: Peacemakers in the Middle East with a difference

WHEN my Christian college mate gifted me a small red book of the New Testament some 45 years ago, one verse that struck me then was Matthew 5:9, which says, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God".

At that young age, my grasp of Arabic was basic in that I knew Islam to mean peace, and so the adherents of the religion (Muslims) would then be peacemakers.

Seen from this perspective, the biblical verse above could have well been rendered as "Blessed are the Muslims, for they will be called sons of God".

But it is sad that Muslims, far from being peacemakers, are at war among themselves. Sadder still, the Semitic nations — Arabs and Israelis with their revealed religions — are at each other's throats.

And, the irony of it all is that the non-Semitic nations — China and Russia — are playing the role of peacemakers.

On March 10, away from the glare and knowledge of the global mainstream media, representatives of Iran and Saudi Arabia who had been meeting secretly for five days in Beijing, announced a Chinese-sponsored agreement to restore diplomatic relations.

China's brokering of the Iran-Saudi deal, and Russia's brokering of the Syrian-Turkish rapprochement are emblematic of a regional realignment that no longer sees the US as the only party in their calculations.

The US' fixation on the Ukraine war to ensure regime change in Russia has blindsided it. It is ignoring its very own tenet of the Carter Doctrine formulated in 1980, which considered the Gulf region as the US' exclusive sphere of influence.

According to Ebrahim Hashem, visiting scholar at the Asia Global Institute of the University of Hong Kong, the Carter Doctrine has ended organically, which is a natural consequence of the fast-changing regional and world order.

It is also the result of the regional players' eagerness to bring in global powers that have enough political capital and leverage with all sides to function as effective guarantors of regional stability.

The US is unqualified for the purpose because it does not have enough political capital and leverage with at least one regional player — Iran.

How can you become an impartial peacemaker when you have big problems with one of the feuding parties? Not to mention that peacemaking has never been a cornerstone of US foreign policy.

In fact, it is warmongering that has become the cornerstone of its foreign policy with colour revolution and regime change at the core.

The trend towards normalisation of bilateral relations in the Middle East demonstrates that the US-led regional order, which resulted in huge trust deficits, military confrontations and prolonged crises such as the Syrian war, has failed.

China's effort to broker peace between the two countries had been preceded by mediation by Iraq and Oman to bring Saudi Arabia and Iran to the table, with formal bilateral talks beginning in April 2021.

Baghdad and Muscat hosted several rounds of discussions between intelligence chiefs, accompanied by individuals from the two countries' foreign ministries and security services, over the next two years.

The dialogue was intermittent, in part because the then Iraqi prime minister, Mustafa al- Kadhimi, who was one of the facilitators, had to make way for his elected successor in October 2022.

Subsequent political turmoil dealt a further blow to Iraqi mediation. More significant was that Iran and Saudi Arabia were making little headway in the dialogue, intensifying frustrations all around.

After the fifth round of discussions in April 2022, the two sides had no serious contact for months.

However, it turned out the Iraq-facilitated talks prepared the ground for the eventual Chinese-sponsored deal because they helped show Iran that Riyadh needed clear commitments to move forward.

According to Arab News, the Chinese involvement began when President Xi Jinping expressed an interest in China being the bridge to resolve the conflict between

the two countries, during his visit to Riyadh last December — an initiative welcomed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The breakthrough took five days of intense negotiations in Beijing — which continued "night and day" covering three main pillars. The first pillar was respect for the sovereignty of regional countries.

The second was restoration of diplomatic ties within two months, which gives both countries time to review and finalise details, and also work on the logistics of resending diplomats.

The third was the revival of previously agreed bilateral treaties between the two, including a 2001 security agreement.

It was made clear to everyone that the restoration of diplomatic ties alone does not mean the end to all disputes.

Other details revealed both Riyadh and Teheran have agreed to a bilateral commitment of non-aggression, including military, intelligence and cyber, nor will they assist others or allow their territories to be used to wage such attacks.

In addition, a trilateral high-level committee (which includes China) will meet periodically to follow up on the implementation of the agreement.

An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on May 1 that three Iranian diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia have resumed operations.

These are Iran's embassy in Riyadh, a consulate general in Jeddah and a representative office to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Jeddah.

The same process is happening in Teheran; Saudi Arabia is gearing up for the reopening of its embassy there.

This shows bilateral political trust is potentially transforming the Middle East into a region of conciliation and collaboration.

Through this peace process, China shows its willingness to shape a more peaceful and prosperous future for the Middle East based on mutual respect and equality.

China's non-interventionist approach has earned respect and trust from Middle East states, particularly when compared with Western hegemony and unilateralism. Its policies on the Middle East emphasise cooperation rather than confrontation and will continue to help smooth relations in the region.

Although it is difficult to determine whether US influence in the Middle East is on the wane, the improved relationship between Iran and Saudi Arabia will likely have an impact on the region's political landscape and potentially prompt a change in Washington's position.

In particular, the possibility exists that increased cooperation between the two countries could lead to coordinated efforts to fix issues affecting the entire region without the direct involvement of the US and other Western powers.

The reopening of embassies of the two countries after years of distrust and competition is also a harbinger of greater autonomy and independence of Middle East countries over their own affairs.

All these point to serious efforts to cut dependence on Western powers, signalling a new era of self-determination for nations in the region.

It also demonstrates the willingness of Middle East states to prioritise mutual coexistence and avoid conflict, which would create opportunities for future prosperity across the entire region.


* The writer is the editor of Let's Talk!, an e-newsletter on current affairs
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