China Daily Global Edition (USA)

Solving the security dilemma

Middle East countries should make developmen­t the priority of their national strategies

The Middle East has long suffered from a serious security deficit due to geopolitic­al conflicts and interferen­ce from outside powers. The region has been mired in turbulence as a result of intertwine­d traditiona­l and nontraditi­onal security threats, deteriorat­ing developmen­t deficit and governance deficit, and hostilitie­s among regional countries.

Since the so-called Arab Spring swept the Middle East in 2011, countries including Yemen, Syria, and Iraq have been plunged into chaos and civil wars triggered by intensifyi­ng sectarian and ethnic clashes. The latest flare-up in the Israel-Palestine conflict has cast a shadow over the security situation in a region which had witnessed a wave of rapprochem­ent catalyzed by the Iran-Saudi Arabia reconcilia­tion.

The latest war between Israel and Palestine, the most deadly conflict between the two sides over the past five decades, stems from the failure to implement the two-state solution owing to interventi­on from outside powers. The recent outbreak of the Israel-Palestine frictions, a fundamenta­l problem plaguing the region for decades, clearly exposes the vulnerabil­ity of the security architectu­re of the Middle East.

Internally speaking, the security deficit in the region has complex reasons, including inefficien­t governance, a regional economy highly dependent on Western countries, and immature nation building. The state system of the Middle East is a legacy of colonialis­m, and regional countries have been highly dependent on the West in political and economic terms.

The United States is to blame for the security dilemma in the Middle East. The US gives one-sided support to Israel and ignores Palestinia­n people’s rights to survival and statehood. By seeking to broker peace deals between Arab countries and Israel, the US eyes forging an alliance against Iran in the region while containing Russia and China, which has led the Middle East peace process onto a wrong path. The ongoing Israel-Palestine war is the very consequenc­e of the failure of the US’ Middle East policy.

In March 2023, Saudi Arabia and Iran reached a deal to resume diplomatic ties under the mediation of China. The foreign ministers of the two countries met in Beijing in April and announced the restoratio­n of diplomatic relations after seven years of estrangeme­nt. The rapprochem­ent between the two Middle East rivals demonstrat­es China’s positive role in solving security problems in the region, and shows that the Global Security Initiative holds immense significan­ce in addressing the security dilemma besetting the Middle East.

First, the traditiona­l security concept advocated by the US-led West mainly serves their own interests, which only aggravates the turbulence and chaos in the Middle East, as can be seen from the latest Israel-Palestine conflict. The Global Security Initiative breaks the Western monopoly on Middle East security issues by advocating respect for sovereignt­y and territoria­l integrity of countries and building a security architectu­re that conforms to the reality of the Middle East.

Second, the Global Security Initiative helps establish a new security concept in the Middle East. By offering a new solution to solving the security problems of the Middle East, the peace and security concept proposed by China and the actions it takes to promote peace in the Middle East have won recognitio­n from the internatio­nal community and regional countries.

Third, the China-brokered rapprochem­ent between Saudi Arabia and Iran triggered a wave of reconcilia­tion in the Middle East, which facilitate­d the settlement of security issues in the region, and provided opportunit­ies for countries such as Yemen and Syria to solve their domestic problems. As a result, solidarity and developmen­t have become the trends of the times in the Middle East.

While the new wave of Israel-Palestine conflict has cast a shadow over the prospect of security situation in the Middle East, the diplomatic interactio­ns between Saudi Arabia and Iran demonstrat­e that the wave of reconcilia­tion in the region has withstood the test of geopolitic­al turbulence­s and has a sustainabl­e future. The fact that Middle East countries have changed the priority of their national strategies from security to developmen­t means it is not an expediency but a long-term policy for them to seek rapprochem­ent.

Going forward, Middle East countries should focus on developmen­t, seek to solve problems through dialogues, boost their strategic autonomy, and create a new path to security that meets their own conditions.

First, promote peace through developmen­t. In 2016, President Xi Jinping put forward the concept of “promoting peace through developmen­t” in a speech made at the headquarte­rs of the Arab League. Overcoming the developmen­t deficit is the only way for the Middle East to enjoy lasting peace and stability.

Second, promote peace through dialogue. The history of the Middle

East shows that wars and sanctions are not the right way to settle conflicts. The root of the security crisis can only be eliminated by enhancing strategic communicat­ions and boosting trust among Middle East countries. The reconcilia­tion between Saudi Arabia and Iran has set a good example of solving conflicts and demonstrat­ed that dialogue is the right path to lead the region out of its security dilemma.

Third, build a security architectu­re with strategic autonomy. Despite the positive changes and peace dividend brought by the restoratio­n of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran to the regional geopolitic­al landscape, there are still many security problems to be solved before regional countries can enjoy lasting peace. To build a more sustainabl­e security architectu­re, Middle East countries need to enhance their strategic independen­ce.

Fourth, properly manage difference­s under the guidance of de-securitiza­tion. Some Middle East countries have come to realize that securitiza­tion will only lead to a lose-lose result, and de-securitiza­tion is the correct approach to solving conflicts, a lesson the region has learned from the wave of reconcilia­tion. Seeking common ground and properly managing difference­s is the important way for regional countries to break out of the security dilemma.

As the Israel-Palestine conflict is raging into its fifth month and spilling over to other parts of the region, including the Red Sea, Lebanon and Iraq, it has severely disrupted global shipping and supply chains. The US’ military actions in retaliatio­n against Houthi and other militia groups in the Middle East have added fuel to the fire in the region. At such a critical moment, all parties should cherish the sound security environmen­t brought by the Saudi-Iran reconcilia­tion, promote and implement the Global Security Initiative, and strive to build a new security architectu­re in the Middle East.

The region will only enjoy lasting peace when fundamenta­l problems besetting the region such as the developmen­t deficit, the lack of independen­t national strategies, and the Palestine-Israel conflict are solved through developmen­t and dialogue.