In These New Times

New Eastern Outlook

22nd January, 2017

Nowhere has the Obama administration done more damage to the US position than in the Middle East, leaving a big void to be filled largely by China, the silent player, and Russia, the military stalwart holding the US at bay. Could this be the end of US’ unchallenged hegemony it has been enjoying since the end of the Second World War? While Russia has quite effectively sidelined the US in military terms, China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ (OBOR) which is to stretch deep inside the Middle East and extend into Europe, is emerging as a factor that will transform the Middle East’s current geo-political landscape. Nowhere is this impact more apparent than in the emergence of Israel as China’s most important partner. With Israel acquiring a pivotal position in China’s mid-eastern calculus, other countries’ relations, particularly those trying to tap into China’s economic projects, with Israel are also likely to undergo a very meaningful transformation.

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