Could China succeed where the US and Israel have failed?

https://arab.news/zpnwe

The latest military confrontation between Iran and the United States has once again demonstrated an uncomfortable truth about the Middle East. Wars can alter military balances, but they rarely resolve political disputes. Instead, they deepen mistrust, damage economies and create new security dilemmas that reverberate far beyond the region. This conflict has disrupted global energy markets, heightened concerns over the security of maritime trade and reminded the international community that instability in the Arabian Gulf is a global challenge, not merely a regional one. 

At such moments, diplomacy can play a vital role. This is where China’s potential as a stabilizing force becomes relevant. Rather than relying on military alliances or coercive diplomacy, Beijing has consistently advocated dialogue, political settlement and respect for sovereignty. President Xi Jinping’s Global Security Initiative (GSI), introduced in 2022, offers no immediate solution, but its principles speak directly to the root causes of recurring crises. 

The Iran-US confrontation has exposed the limits of traditional security approaches. Decades of sanctions, military deployments and cycles of deterrence have failed to produce lasting stability. Instead, the region has experienced repeated crises, from Iraq and Syria to Yemen and Lebanon, and now renewed tensions involving Iran. This pattern suggests that security cannot be achieved through military superiority alone. Sustainable peace requires inclusive political arrangements in which all regional stakeholders have a voice. 

China has managed a careful balance in the region: forging strategic ties with Iran, maintaining substantive economic partnerships with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, and preserving channels of communication with the United........

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