Previously on, "When I Get You A Loan"
https://groups.google.com/g/rec.arts.tv/c/ow9apW3NXBc/m/EGFhpe44CAAJ

China-brokered Iran-Saudi deal raises red flags for US
BY BRAD DRESS - 03/11/23
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/3894627-china-brokered-iran-saudi-deal-raises-red-flags-for-us/

An agreement struck by Iran and Saudi Arabia on Friday to re-establish relations has shifted concerns back to the state of the U.S. role in the Middle East — especially since the deal was brokered by Washington’s main adversary, China.

The diplomatic agreement, reached after four days of talks with senior security officials in Beijing, eases tensions between the Middle East powers after seven years of hostilities.

Both Iran and Saudi Arabia announced they will resume diplomatic relations and open up embassies once again in their respective nations within two months, according to a joint statement.

The deal also comes as Saudi Arabia is demanding certain security guarantees, a steady flow of arms shipments and assistance with its civilian nuclear program in order to normalize relations with Israel, a major U.S. ally, the White House confirmed on Friday.

On Saturday, March 11, 2023 at 12:40:45 PM UTC-5, chromebook test wrote:
> Previously on, "When I Get You A Loan"
> https://groups.google.com/g/rec.arts.tv/c/ow9apW3NXBc/m/EGFhpe44CAAJ
>
>
>
> China-brokered Iran-Saudi deal raises red flags for US
> BY BRAD DRESS - 03/11/23
> https://thehill.com/policy/defense/3894627-china-brokered-iran-saudi-deal-raises-red-flags-for-us/
>
> An agreement struck by Iran and Saudi Arabia on Friday to re-establish relations has shifted concerns back to the state of the U.S. role in the Middle East — especially since the deal was brokered by Washington’s main adversary, China.
>
> The diplomatic agreement, reached after four days of talks with senior security officials in Beijing, eases tensions between the Middle East powers after seven years of hostilities.
>
> Both Iran and Saudi Arabia announced they will resume diplomatic relations and open up embassies once again in their respective nations within two months, according to a joint statement.
>
> The deal also comes as Saudi Arabia is demanding certain security guarantees, a steady flow of arms shipments and assistance with its civilian nuclear program in order to normalize relations with Israel, a major U.S. ally, the White House confirmed on Friday.

The Americans, who have been the central actors in the Middle East for the past three-quarters of a century, almost always the ones in the room where it happened, now find themselves on the sidelines during a moment of significant change. The Chinese, who for years played only a secondary role in the region, have suddenly transformed themselves into the new power player. And the Israelis, who have been courting the Saudis against their mutual adversaries in Tehran, now wonder where it leaves them.

“There is no way around it — this is a big deal,” said Amy Hawthorne, deputy director for research at the Project on Middle East Democracy, a nonprofit group in Washington. “Yes, the United States could not have brokered such a deal right now with Iran specifically, since we have no relations. But in a larger sense, China’s prestigious accomplishment vaults it into a new league diplomatically and outshines anything the U.S. has been able to achieve in the region since Biden came to office.”

.... the crown prince is turning to the Chinese. “Some folks in the gulf clearly see this as the Chinese century,” said Steven A. Cook, a senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. “The Saudis have expressed interest in joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and a good deal of their oil goes to China.”

Chinese-Brokered Deal Upends Mideast Diplomacy and Challenges U.S.
Peter Baker March 11, 2023
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/11/us/politics/saudi-arabia-iran-china-biden.html

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UReA6JYNiJc

On Saturday, March 11, 2023 at 12:47:22 PM UTC-5, chromebook test wrote:
> On Saturday, March 11, 2023 at 12:40:45 PM UTC-5, chromebook test wrote:
> > Previously on, "When I Get You A Loan"
> > https://groups.google.com/g/rec.arts.tv/c/ow9apW3NXBc/m/EGFhpe44CAAJ
> >
> >
> >
> > China-brokered Iran-Saudi deal raises red flags for US
> > BY BRAD DRESS - 03/11/23
> > https://thehill.com/policy/defense/3894627-china-brokered-iran-saudi-deal-raises-red-flags-for-us/
> >
> > An agreement struck by Iran and Saudi Arabia on Friday to re-establish relations has shifted concerns back to the state of the U.S. role in the Middle East — especially since the deal was brokered by Washington’s main adversary, China.
> >
> > The diplomatic agreement, reached after four days of talks with senior security officials in Beijing, eases tensions between the Middle East powers after seven years of hostilities.
> >
> > Both Iran and Saudi Arabia announced they will resume diplomatic relations and open up embassies once again in their respective nations within two months, according to a joint statement.
> >
> > The deal also comes as Saudi Arabia is demanding certain security guarantees, a steady flow of arms shipments and assistance with its civilian nuclear program in order to normalize relations with Israel, a major U.S. ally, the White House confirmed on Friday.
> The Americans, who have been the central actors in the Middle East for the past three-quarters of a century, almost always the ones in the room where it happened, now find themselves on the sidelines during a moment of significant change. The Chinese, who for years played only a secondary role in the region, have suddenly transformed themselves into the new power player. And the Israelis, who have been courting the Saudis against their mutual adversaries in Tehran, now wonder where it leaves them.
>
> “There is no way around it — this is a big deal,” said Amy Hawthorne, deputy director for research at the Project on Middle East Democracy, a nonprofit group in Washington. “Yes, the United States could not have brokered such a deal right now with Iran specifically, since we have no relations. But in a larger sense, China’s prestigious accomplishment vaults it into a new league diplomatically and outshines anything the U.S. has been able to achieve in the region since Biden came to office.”
>
>
> ... the crown prince is turning to the Chinese. “Some folks in the gulf clearly see this as the Chinese century,” said Steven A. Cook, a senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. “The Saudis have expressed interest in joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and a good deal of their oil goes to China.”
>
>
>
> Chinese-Brokered Deal Upends Mideast Diplomacy and Challenges U.S.
> Peter Baker March 11, 2023
> https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/11/us/politics/saudi-arabia-iran-china-biden.html

it is disconcerting for many veteran American policymakers to see China playing such an outsize role in a region after years of making inroads.

“This is the latest reminder that the competition is on a global stage,” said Mara Rudman, executive vice president for policy at the Center for American Progress and a former Middle East envoy under Mr. Obama.. “It is by no means limited to the Indo-Pacific, just as it is not limited to solely to economics, or security, or diplomatic engagement.”

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Break A Leg

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