Are China's 'secret deals' fuelling war?

[bigtree]

August 08, 2006

How China's secret deals are fuelling war

by, Stephen Pollard

{snips}

As Israel and Hezbollah exchange bombs and missiles, oil-hungry Beijing plays out its sinister strategy

THE STORY behind the story in the Middle East today is the proxy war, as Israel, on behalf of the US, takes on Hezbollah, which fights on behalf of Iran and Syria. Indeed, one can widen it further and describe the participants as proxies for the West versus militant Islam.

This analysis of the conflict sometimes mentions, in passing, Russia’s declining influence. But there is another player that has somehow received almost no coverage.

A (brilliant) analysis of China’s role by Barry Rubin, in the Middle East Review of International Affairs, describes China’s first steps thus: “As hope for global revolution faded and Beijing switched its partners from tiny opposition groups to governments, China now projected itself as leader of the Third World, struggling against the hegemony of the two superpowers, the USSR and the United States. Lacking the strength and level of development of other great powers, China would try to make itself the head of a massive coalition of the weaker states.” That meant, in the Middle East, Israel’s enemies.

. . . like all the most successful illicit traders, China is ideologically profligate in its relations. Keen to supply weapons to Israel’s enemies in return for oil, it is equally happy to trade with Israel in return for its technology. As Benjamin Netanyahu put it to the Chinese when, as Prime Minister, he championed an Israeli investment in China: “Israeli knowhow is more valuable than Arab oil.” The estimates are that there has been between $1 billion and $3 billion of arms trade between China and Israel. But in this case the flow of arms and weapons technology has been from Israel to China.

In the immediate analysis of the present conflict, it is clearly Iran and Syria that, as President Bush put it, should “stop doing this shit”. But any deeper explanation of the realpolitik of the Middle East has to include the insidious role of the Chinese, the 21st century’s next superpower.

full article: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1072-2302757,00.html

[lumpy]

1. China's deals aren't that secret.

Neither are US deals.

[leveymg]

2. This is almost as interesting as "The Third Man"

Yes. China is playing a clever game, and hoping to pick up the pieces after the US bashes its empire of oil in the Middle East all to hell.

If you want to take an even wider view of events in the ME, consider the interests of the multinational oil companies, and how they diverge from those of the White House and, for even greater complexity (and realism), how those are at cross-purposes to the Neocons.

What's really going on, therefore, is a proxy war between five or six major players.

[Dover]

3. This author is a senior fellow at The Centre for the New Europe think tank

Always good to know the perspective and biases of different sources, though I think China's role in the current global shifting of power needs illumination from all sides:

Centre for the New Europe
From SourceWatch

The Centre for the New Europe is a think tank based in Brussels. Its hosts events for policymakers, parliamentarians and journalists, and publishes reports and books on a range of libertarian topics.

Founded in 1993 by a Belgian lawyer and a Belgian journalist after a meeting in the Hilton Hotel on the Toison d'Or in Brussels, it is very strongly pro-free-market, with a particular focus on the privatisation of healthcare. It is a member of the International Policy Network and regularly collaborates with other members of the Atlas Economic Research Foundation network. It is also a member of the Stockholm Network of European free-market think tanks.

The funding of the CNE is intransparent. It failed to answer a think tank survey by the Corporate Europe Observatory in 2005. However, the annual reports of Exxon Mobil reveal that CNE in 2003 and 2004 received $40,000 and $80,000 respectively for its "Global Climate Change Education Efforts".

"We find that support for liberal ideas--free trade, social tolerance, economic liberty--extends far beyond Europe's Liberal parties. Therefore, we back no party or programme. We find that liberalism has friends and enemies in every party. We hope to unite its friends and persuade its enemies." <1> (http://www.cne.org/about2.htm)

[bigtree]

4. no doubt right wing, hence the cynicism

but, what is the scope and impact of China's influence and how will this manifest itself in the 'peace' negotiations and agreement?

Overseas visitor made me alert to China's role and I saw this article . . .

[leveymg]

5. No doubt pro-Exxon/Mobil, hence the focus on Chinese meddling in the ME

and the lack of focus on other interested state and non-state actors in the region.

You're right. Know your sources -- it'll tell you what they're not saying, and why.

[Dover]

6. When I read he worked at the Centre for the NEW EUROPE

it began ringing bells. Rummy referred to some of our long term allies in Europe as the "old Europe" . Apparently the oil companies and even their verbiage are permeating our language and foreign policies. It's pretty clear who is writing Bushco's script...literally putting words in their mouth.