Stay Informed

Sign up to receive the Middle East Bulletin!

Support Middle East Progress

In-Depth Coverage

Original Commentaries

11/13/08
The View from Gaza  —Taghreed El-Khodary, New York Times journalist in Gaza and Harvard University Nieman Fellow (2005-2006). Interviewed by Middle East Bulletin.
11/04/08
Getting on the Right Track  —Dalia Rabin, chairperson, Rabin Center, and daughter of the late Yitzhak Rabin. Interview with Middle East Bulletin.
10/23/08
Bottom-Up Meets Top-Down for Progress  —Robert Danin, Head of Mission, Office of Quartet Representative Tony Blair and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs. Interview with Middle East Bulletin.

Setting the Record Straight

U.S. Policy Strengthens Iran

"Simply put, without permanent bases in Iraq, a nuclear capable Islamic Republic cannot be contained."
—Michael Rubin, resident scholar, American Enterprise Institute, "Can a Nuclear Iran Be Contained or Deterred?" Middle Eastern Outlook, November 5, 2008 versus
  • “[B]y attacking Iraq, we automatically made Iran a regional power. We took out their major adversary in Iraq, and we neutralized, if only temporarily, the Taliban, on the other side. And so now we see not only that they are regional powers, but clearly indications of aspirations to be perhaps a hegemon in the area, their role in Iraq, their role in Syria, in Lebanon as well. And I can tell you, and I think you’ve heard it already, that there is real fear among the GCC countries about where all of this is going. All of them have minorities, in one case it’s not a minority, it’s a majority of Shias, and as the Sheika correctly pointed out, they can’t exchange Iran for some place else.”
    —General Joseph P. Hoar (USMC, Ret.), former commander of U.S. Central Command (1991-94), National Council On U.S.-Arab Relations, 17th Annual Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference, October 30, 2008

    • Middle East Analysis

    China’s Trade Relations with the Middle East

    August 15, 2007

    Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Syrian President Bashar Assad (AP)

    Chinese imports from entire Middle East in 2006: $41.8 billion (5.3% of total imports; 32.9% increase from 2005)
    Chinese imports from the six Persian Gulf states alone in 2006: $26.6 billion (3.4% of total imports; 32.9% increase from 2005)

    Chinese exports to the entire Middle East in 2006: $40.2 billion (4.2% of total exports; 40.3% increase from 2005)
    Chinese exports to the six Persian Gulf states alone in 2006: $1.8 billion (1.9% of total exports; 33.6% increase from 2005)

    Chinese crude oil imports in 2006: $6.6 billion
    Percentage of 2006 oil imports that originate in the Middle East: 58%

    Expected total Chinese oil imports from the Middle East by 2015: 70%

    Saudi Arabia
    Saudi Arabia was China’s largest oil supplier until 2006, when Angola moved into the premier position. A planned 9% increase in oil imports from Saudi Arabia in 2007 may place it in first again. The two countries remain close business partners. China and Saudi Arabia have undertaken several joint business ventures, including building refineries in China and laying pipelines in Saudi Arabia. In 2006 China signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia allowing for greater access to Saudi oil markets in exchange for Chinese arms and technology.

    Israel
    China is Israel’s largest Asian market, with 2006 trade reaching $3.3 billion, a 28% increase from 2005. The majority of China-Israel trade is in telecommunications, high-tech equipment, machinery, and electrical equipment. China has been designated an “Israeli export target country” since 2005. The two countries have not been engaged in weapons trade since a 2005 deal folded under U.S. pressure, but there are signs that the Sino-Israeli arms relations may be warming.

    Iran
    Iran, the world’s fourth-largest exporter of oil, is China’s third-largest supplier. In the first four months of 2007, its exports to China have increased 11%. Chinese company Sinopec is currently in negotiations to become the first foreign company to own a majority stake of an Iranian oil field (the Yadavaran field, near Iran’s Iraqi border). The deal is worth $100 billion, and will provide China with 150,000 barrels of oil per day. China is also engaged in arms trade with Iran, and the appearance of Chinese-made weapons in Iraq and Afghanistan has caused concern.