As 2017 draws to a close, the Middle East is witnessing the convergence of several important developments that will potentially have a broad impact on Israeli national security. The civil war in Syria is subsiding through a process dominated by Russia, Iran, and Turkey – which poses the danger that Israel’s interests will not be taken into account in the deliberations and steps toward an agreement to stabilize the arena. The jihadist territorial Islamic State established in Iraq and Syria has been obliterated, although the underlying...
President Trump’s visit to East Asia in early November 2017 earned conflicting grades, mainly in the United States. Did Trump achieve his objective of strengthening the alliance between the United States and its friends in East Asia, and sending a message of a continued American commitment? It appears that the leaders of countries considered allies of the US have come to terms with China’s growing power in the region, and the determined American declarations about commitment to the friends in Asia may have not persuaded...
The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party, China’s most important political forum, met in Beijing in October. At the Congress, which was attended by thousands of senior representatives of the Party, the government, and the military, China’s future leadership was chosen and policy outlines were approved. At the opening session, President Xi Jinping sketched at length a roadmap for China for the coming decades in the areas of economics, politics, ecology, military, security, and foreign relations. The message from...
Although President Trump described the G20 summit in Hamburg as a “wonderful success,” commentators emphasized the extent to which the US has been isolated, claiming that the summit provided additional evidence of the US losing its leadership status. Beyond the issues of disagreement between the US and other G20 members mentioned in the Hamburg Declaration, participants also noted the failure of the US to bring the G20 to condemn North Korea’s missile test. On the other hand, Trump’s encounter with President Putin may have added to...
The world’s perception of cyberspace has evolved from the libertarian promises of the 1990s to the current situation, where nation-states seek to reestablish their sovereignty. This paper explores the history of our conceptions of cyberspace, from the enthusiastic utopias culminating in the so-called “declaration of independence of cyberspace” to the technological underpinnings and the legislative steps being taken by today’s governments to assert more control. It will address efforts in the West and East to resolve diverse,...
China’s new Cybersecurity Law will go into effect on June 1, 2017. According to official statements, the purpose of the law is to protect China’s national security and social stability through close supervision of internet content and technologies. The law has the potential to affect every Chinese or foreign internet or information technology business operating in China. After the law was announced, there were concerns in the West that the continued operation of foreign companies in China will be conditional upon their...
After more than six blood-soaked years, some half a million dead (mostly civilians), and millions of displaced people and refugees, there are signs that the military stage in the Syrian civil war is approaching an end. Israel, which has largely been distanced from the Syrian quagmire, senses its lack of influence over arrangements currently underway in Moscow, Tehran, Ankara, Astana, and Geneva. Following Israel’s recent aerial attack deep in Syria on a storage site serving Hezbollah and/or forces subordinate to Iran Prime Minister...
On March 20-21, 2017, 25 years after the establishment of diplomatic relations, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit China, his second visit there during Xi Jinping’s presidency. The visit will take place against the backdrop of the growing economic relations between Israel and China; China’s heightened interest in the Middle East; and the dynamic developing among the three world powers at the outset of Donald Trump’s presidency. Ties between Israel and China embody significant growth potential for the Israeli economy that...
From China’s perspective, enhanced relations with the Saudi kingdom address a variety of interests. From Saudi Arabia’s perspective, China constitutes a stable and reliable strategic partner that complements the kingdom’s strategic relations with the United States, mainly on economic and political dimensions, and without the unpleasant Western criticism on issues relating to human rights and democratization. Thus, both countries are finding a common comfort zone in mutual respect of their sovereignties without trying to change each...
The election of Donald Trump heralds a change in United States policy, and relations with China are emerging as a major focus of the new administration. It appears that each side is seeking to identify the other’s weaknesses during a mutually sensitive transition period, and to maximize benefits through brinkmanship. Yet it is possible that Trump will heed the advice of the State Department and strive for calm between the two powers and seek to settle their differences constructively. For Israel, the rising tensions between the...
The article deals with Chinese policy in the Middle East. The authors conclude that in the coming years, China’s objectives for the Middle East, including toward Israel, will feature growing involvement, mainly in the economic sphere. The development of knowledge in Israel about this major power should therefore be enhanced and extended.
On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague issued its ruling on the case filed by the Philippines regarding its dispute with China in the South China Sea. The ruling, which clearly favored the Philippine position, stated that China’s claims to sovereignty in the “nine-dash line” area had no legal basis. According to the ruling, some of the territorial features in the area over which China demanded sovereignty are too small to confer territorial rights. Therefore, according to the ruling, China’s actions...
