China's Strategy in the Gulf: Navigating Conflicts and Rivalries

By Benjamin Houghton

"Houghton systematically unpacks Beijing's strategy in the Gulf.... Persistent rivalries and conflicts across the region will ensure that this work remains timely and relevant for years to come." --Robert Mogielnicki, Arab Gulf States Institute China's foreign and security policy in the Gulf region has been characterized by the cultivation of strong positive relationships with all of the Gulf states, irrespective of their domestic politics and the ubiquitous rivalries between neighbors. Has this "hedging strategy" proven fruitful? Or has it had negative consequences? Addressing this issue, Benjamin Houghton explores the contours of China's hedging strategy in the Gulf from the time of the 1979 Iranian revolution through early 2024. CONTENTS: China in the Gulf: Cultivating Strategic Relationships. Contested Region: The Gulf Regional Security Subcomplex. Stark Beginnings: From Iran's Revolution to the Iran-Iraq War. Opportunistic Timing: The Kuwait Crisis. Navigating US Predominance: Dual Containment. In for the Long Haul: Intensified Rivalries in the Twenty-First Century. Hedging: A Successful Strategy?

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1962551466
• ISBN13: 9781962551465
• Release Date: February 2025
• Publisher: Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc.
• Length: 233 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 0.8" x 6.3"