Meanwhile on the Eastern Front

For those of you who have been following the news from the Middle East you are no doubt familiar with the growing tension between the West and Iran. But what is not given as much attention is that Iran has another side that faces east. Things are very different on that side. The alarm at Iranian activities on the part of the West is largely absent in the East. While China has expressed its reservations concerning Iran, it has so far been unwilling to follow the West's lead in increasing pressure on Tehran. Where the West is issuing threats, China is expressing concern. Meanwhile, China and India continue to do business with Iran.

Most notable in this regard is China's recent deal to develop energy sources and increase trade with Iran. Iran has oil. China needs oil. China needs stability in the region if it to have a reliable supply. War in the Middle East, particularly a war with Iran, would jeopardize that, as would an attack, deliberate or otherwise, on Chinese developments in the country. But this news is rarely reported in the U.S. When it is mentioned it is usually in passing. Events in the region are commonly, and understandably, placed in the context of U.S. and Israeli concerns. Iran's machinations and maneuverings, being the primary issue at the moment, are viewed through the prism of our interests. While China does not neglect to cite U.S. and Israeli interests in the region, it reports the news in a very different light.

A case in point is an article published on the China News website nine days ago. It was titled "Atrocities Committed by U.S. Soldiers in Recent Years". That right, not "crimes", or "violations", but "atrocities". In all, eight were listed. These ranged from the rape of a young girl by a U.S. marine in Okinawa and torture at Abu Ghraib, to the recent rampage by Staff Sergeant Robert Bales in which 17 civilians were murdered with the story of U.S. troops urinating on corpses in between. The decision not only to make a list, but to identify that list as a chronicle of "atrocities" is revealing. It reflects an attempt by China to recast U.S. scandals around the world, as a not as a series of incidents, but a pattern of behavior. The choice to extend the list back nearly a decade indicates that China seeks to portray the U.S. as a borderline criminal enterprise.

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Why would China do this? The Middle East with its energy supplies is a vital region to the industrialized world. As long as China was a largely undeveloped nation, it had little interest, or need to pursue resources around the globe. That has changed. China's rapidly developing economy is drawing it into competition with the U.S. for markets and resources. At the moment, the resource in question is oil. For decades, countries in the Middle East have relied upon the West to stay afloat. By and large, nations in the region only have one commodity, oil. Being all but worthless to the nations who possess it, oil has to be sold if anything is to be gained. The only profitable market for oil has been the West. So oil is sold to the West. We need oil. The Middle East needs to sell oil. That is changing. While the Middle East still needs to sell oil, they are increasingly able to find other buyers. China has already increased imports, as has India.

It is evident that China is seeking to create a rift between the U.S. and the Middle East, however subtly. It is in its interest to do so. If the Middle East turns eastward China stands to gain mightily. It will gain access to resources that it needs and expand its influence further west to new markets and new opportunities. Should that happen, the U.S. will find itself in a very different world. When we were competing with the Soviets in the region we were confronted with a declining and brittle foe. China is different. It is a rising and dynamic opponent. It is unfortunate that through our policies we are making it easier for China to expand its influence. The new and unstable democracies being established in the Middle East will be no barrier to Chinese expansion. Indeed, their frailty will invite it. We have given Iran no place else to turn but east. That is not in U.S. interests at all. As competition between the U.S. and China grows the U.S. will need allies in the Middle East, not dependencies and clients.

The U.S. has been quick impose sanctions and drop bombs. It is also been Johnny on the spot with weapons and military support for those perceived to be acting in our interests. What is often neglected is that, no matter which side we are supporting, we are dropping bombs on Muslims. On the other hand, the U.S. has been glacial in its efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Both policies have served to increase animosity toward the U.S. in the region. There is not a single government put in place by the U.S. that is not being challenged in one way or another and doesn't bear some grudge against the West. Neither is there a single government established under U.S. auspices that is not having its arm twisted to reform in a manner suitable to Western sensibilities and follow our lead in regional affairs. The one monument to U.S. efforts in the region, Egypt, is cracking. Against this you have China with a wallet full of cash, a platinum credit card, and no interest in changing your nation. It is simply seeking to buy what you are selling.

The reporting of U.S. "atrocities" over the years, particularly those that occurred in the Middle East, is an attempt by China to sully the U.S. and thereby expand its opportunities. As important, if not more so, is that the article was published by the official Chinese press, not in some tabloid or manifesto. The day is coming when the U.S. will have to take China into account throughout the world. When that day comes we will be at a distinct economic and political disadvantage. It will not be like the Cold War at all.

A Chinese frigate recently made an appearance off the Libyan coast. It is anticipated that China will launch its first aircraft carrier later this year. It is at the moment in negotiations with Seychelles about creating a naval base there, which would give it a permanent presence in the Indian Ocean. It has become active in Middle East politics and injected itself into the debate over Syria. There is a bigger picture here and we should take a little time to look at it. For better and worse, a strong and Islamic Iran is a barrier to Chinese expansion. A weak Iran in turmoil is an opportunity. If the U.S. is not careful, it might just bomb and sanction the Middle East into the open arms of China, if we don't nag it there first.