A seismic shift in world power politics occurred March 10. But the US government and its compliant corporate media largely yawned, ignored it and moved on.
Five days ago Iran and Saudi Arabia announced they were reestablishing diplomatic relations, ending their 7 year long diplomatic estrangement. This represents a huge development toward possible peace in the Middle East between the 2 largest rival powers, Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran.
But it’s not just possible Middle East peace that’s significant. The deal was not brokered by the US, which invariably controls Middle East political developments, but China. In one historic move, China has essentially replaced the US as the dominant Middle East power broker.
Uncle Sam is not thrilled about the chance for Middle East peace, nor that it comes from China, its primary rival for world hegemony. A US spokesperson tepidly said that the rapprochement may be good but only if untrustworthy Iran honors its commitments. This from the US which rarely honors its commitments.
Truth is the US is not interested in Middle East peace. If we were we wouldn’t have blown up the Iran nuclear agreement, the most pro peace initiative there this century. Instead the US revs up conflict by promoting an anti Iran coalition centered around Saudi Arabia. China’s brokered agreement shatters that US strategy, laying bare to the world that it’s China, not the US, that promotes peace.
This seismic shift is happening worldwide. China offered a 12 point peace agreement for the Russo Ukraine war the US dismissed out of hand. All the US could sputter is that we can’t trust Chinese peace efforts cause they’re on the brink of sending weapons to Russia. As usual, the US offered not a shred of evidence to back up this hyperbolic claim. After squandering over a hundred billion in weapons to keep Ukrainians dying for 13 months now, US is in no position to cry about who sends weapons wherever.
Look around. The US maintains over 700 military bases worldwide. China? 8. The US is on track for a $900 billion offense budget in Fiscal ’24. China? $225 billion with over 4 times as many people. The US is bombing and sanctioning dozens of countries, killing untold thousands, many from lack of food or medicine. China? Promoting peace while investing hundreds of billions in infrastructure and economic development everywhere.
Back to the title question. Like a match race between Secretariat and the second fastest horse, it’s China by 20 lengths.
Walt Zlotow became involved in antiwar activities upon entering University of Chicago in 1963. He is current president of the West Suburban Peace Coalition based in the Chicago western suburbs. He blogs daily on antiwar and other issues at www.heartlandprogressive.blogspot.com.
Washington’s neocon foreign policy has one failure after another, and we’ve spent so much on these foreign wars to the point where our own infrastructure has become a laughing stock of the world. (how many more American trains will derail this month..)
It we do not change our terrible foreign policy, it’s clear who will win over the hearts of the minds of world with peace, development, and infrastructure.
It will be interesting if this can continue into Syria.
While the Kurds are our proxies they are under the Saudi thumb even more so. If Saudi shifts toward China who is tightening ties with Russia, could it also shift the Kurd’s alliances away from us and into a peace deal with Assad and Putin?