(Photo Credit: Hoder’s Photostream)
Despite China’s continued opposition to sanctions, the UK Ambassador to China reports that he is optimistic China will eventually come around because it fears “diplomatic isolation.”
This argument is problematic because clearly China is not isolated in its opposition to sanctions. In fact, Turkey, Brazil and others agree with China that a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue is preferable to additional sanctions.
In fact, it is the United States, not China, that is increasingly diplomatically isolated in its refusal to engage in the race for Iran’s growing market for consumer goods and immense hydrocarbon resources.
As Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett wrote previously on this blog:
Clearly, other power centers are competing for influence and to establish economically and strategically beneficial relationships with the Islamic Republic. But the United States, in effect, continues to believe it can, in effect, refuse to take part in the race for Iran, because it does not view the Islamic Republic as an “acceptable” focus of geopolitical attention. From the American perspective, Iran must be diplomatically isolated and pressured economically, until it is somehow transformed into a state that Washington might deem “worthy” of strategic engagement. This is, truly, a perspective which could only be indulged by political elites in a declining “imperial” power, who resist seeing their country’s strategic situation as it really is.
British and American officials can repeat “diplomatic isolation” all they want, but is clear that China is not alone in recognizing that Iran is a significant regional player whose interests must be accounted for.
– Ben Katcher
China and Russia believe negotiations can resolve any uncertainties regarding Iran’s nuclear program. Certainly, the US has not shown good faith in professing to have attempted to engage with Iran. Good faith would have required the US to applaud Iran’s capture of Rigi.
Ben, regarding the photo on this post: hoder is currently incarcerated at Evin prison for his blogging content and previous travel to Israel. He’s been there since before the June 2009 election unrest.
Al-Hayat’s Editor-in-Chief Ghassan Charbel discusses how the region sees Obama after he turned the other cheek to Netanyahu’s slap in the face: “It is hard for Obama to be strong towards Ahmadinejad if he is weak towards Netanyahu. The US leadership’s confusion towards the world portends great crises as well as costly risk-taking in the Middle East.”
http://www.daralhayat.com/portalarticlendah/118693
As Ben notes, it is the US that is becoming isolated. And that is precisely because the US has ceased to play a constructive role in the region either with Israel or with Iran.
Wow, looks Ben is busy today
Didn’t even had enough time to read and digest his today’s first post