Publication

This paper analyzes the Chinese engagement in the Middle East. As the Arab Spring turns to Islamic Winter with the waves of anti‐US demonstrations across the Middle East and North Africa, China has been quietly asserting its influence while US presence begins to wane. The US pivot towards the Asia Pacific reinforces this after a decade of war in the Middle East. As US begins to leave a vacuum, China has embarked on a trajectory of political relationships, economic initiatives, and military posture to fill it.