China and The Middle East
PS505 - R&C: CRN:
47156
Instructor: Tugrul Keskin
Office: 333
East Hall
Google Phone: (202) 630-1025
Office Hours: Tuesday
1:00 – 4:00 PM or by appointment
It doesn't matter if a cat is black or
white, so long as it catches mice.
Deng Xiaoping
Course Description and Objective:
This course will review and analyze the increased presence
of PRC in the Contemporary Middle East. After the Deng Xiaoping came to power,
he liberalized the Chinese state and economy. As a result of his economic
policies, the PRC opened its doors to foreign investment and international
companies. This trend created a “great transformation in Chinese society.” Over the next thirty years, the Chinese
middle class grew to a size of over three hundred fifty million people. David
Harvey calls this process “neoliberalism with Chinese characteristics.”
However, this economic transformation and the emergence of a large middle class
in China created additional energy needs for the state and society. This led to
a shift in Chinese foreign policy towards the Middle East. Therefore, over the
last few years China, as an emerging global power, has heavily invested in the
economies of Middle Eastern countries. However there are other competitors in
the Middle Eastern economic market; such as the United States and Europe. Although
the Middle East is considered an American backyard, China is currently trying
to enter the Middle Eastern market for its own energy and security needs.
However, unlike in Africa, China has moved slowly in order not to disturb
American National Interests. China is consequently sneaking into the Middle
Eastern oil market without too much attention to this trend. In this class, we
will review how the growing needs for oil and gas of the Chinese economy has
shaped Chinese foreign policy in the Middle East after 1978.
Objectives:
The course objectives are 1) to
acquaint students with both traditional and contemporary literature and
research on Chinese Foreign Policy toward Middle East and 2) to introduce
students to the historical and ideological basis of Classical and Contemporary Chinese
and Middle East relations
Required Books:
This course will use sections from the following books and
articles:
Recommended
Readings:
- Jon B. Alterman and John W. Garver. The Vital Triangle: China, The United States and the Middle East. CSIS, 2008.
- Yitzhak Shichor. The Middle East in China's Foreign Policy, 1949-1977. Cambrdige University Pess, 1979.
- Scott Harold and Alireza Nader. China and Iran E conomic, Political, and Military Relations. RAND, 2012.
- James Chen. The Emergence of China in the Middle East. Strategic Forum National Defense University, 2011: SF No. 271 1.
- Henry Kissinger. On China. New York, NY: Penguin Books, 2011.
Recommended Books:
- Kemp, Geoffrey. The East Moves West: India, China and Asia’s Growing Presence in the Middle East. Washington: Brookings, 2012.
- Olimat, Muhamad S. China and the Middle East. From Silk Road to Arab Spring. New York: Routledge, 2013.
- Simpfendorfer, Ben. The New Silk Road: How a Rising Arab World is Turning Away from the West and Rediscovering China. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.
- . The Politics of China: The Eras of Mao and Deng. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press; 1997.
Recommended Articles:.
- Antonov, Ivan. "China's Growing Role In International Affairs." International Affairs: A Russian Journal Of World Politics, Diplomacy & International Relations 57.4 (2011): 27-31.
- Jin Liangxiang. Energy First China and the Middle East. Middle East Quarterly Spring 2005, pp. 3-10.
- Huiyun, Tang. "China's Soft Power Construction Policy." Journal Of US-China Public Administration 9.5 (2012): 563-569.
- Pantucci, Raffaello, and Alexandros Petersen. "China's Inadvertent Empire." National Interest 122 (2012): 30-39.
- Rozman, Gilbert. "Invocations Of Chinese Traditions In International Relations." Journal Of Chinese Political Science 17.2 (2012): 111-124.
- Xiao, Ren, and Gordon Cheung. "Sources And Transitions Of Chinese Foreign Policy: An Introduction." East Asia: An International Quarterly 28.3 (2011): 169-174.
- Demır, İdris. "Revival Of The Silk Road In Terms Of Energy Trade." University Of Gaziantep Journal Of Social Sciences 9.3 (2010): 513-532.
- Gee, John. "China's Challenges In The Middle East." Washington Report On Middle East Affairs 30.8 (2011): 30-31.
- Menon, Raja. "The East Moves West, India, China, And Asia's Growing Presence In The Middle East." Maritime Affairs: Journal Of The National Maritime Foundation Of India 7.1 (2011): 121-128.
- Peerenboom, Randall. "China And The Revolutions In The Middle East And North Africa." Middle Eastern Law & Governance 3.1/2 (2011): 192-203.
- Pham, J. Peter. "China's “Surge” In The Middle East And Its Implications For U.S. Interests." American Foreign Policy Interests 31.3 (2009): 177-193.
- Zambelis, Chris, and Brandon Gentry. "China Through Arab Eyes: American Influence In The Middle East." Parameters: U.S. Army War College 38.1 (2008): 60-72.
- Harris, Stuart. "Global And Regional Orders And The Changing Geopolitics Of Energy." Australian Journal Of International Affairs 64.2 (2010): 166-185.
- Hayoun, Massoud. "Strange Bedfellows." World Affairs 175.5 (2013): 89-96.
- Olimat, Muhamad. "The Political Economy Of The Sino-Middle Eastern Relations." Journal Of Chinese Political Science 15.3 (2010): 307-335.
- Gvosdev, Nikolas. "Don't Count China Out In Middle East." World Politics Review (2012): 1.
- Gardels, Nathan. "It's Time For China To Start Shaping The New Global System." NPQ: New Perspectives Quarterly 28.3 (2011): 2-5.
- Hulbert, Matthew. "Shifting Global Balance Heralds New Energy Imperatives." Middle East 438 (2012): 32-36.
Newspaper Articles:
- Davis, Rowenna. "China Is Now Challenging The U.S. In The Middle East.." CCPA Monitor 16.3 (2009): 10-11.
- Ford, Peter. "Libya unrest tests China's interests in the Middle East." Christian Science Monitor 02 Mar. 2011: N.PAG.
- Spegele, Brian, and Matt Bradley. "Egypt's Morsi Firms Up Ties to China." Wall Street Journal - Eastern Edition 29 Aug. 2012:
- Topol, Sarah A., and Peter Ford. "Q&A: Why China has become the Middle East's favorite customer." Christian Science Monitor 13 July 2010: N.PAG.
- Ian Bremmer. China's fast-growing Middle East problem. The Economist. Tuesday, March 13, 2012
- Brian Spegele And Jeremy Page. China to Shake Up Foreign-Policy Leadership. The Wall Street Journal. March 10, 2013.
· Willy Lam. Meet China’s New Foreign-Policy Team Is Beijing using its latest
appointments to send a message to Washington? Foreign Policy. March 8, 2013.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/03/08/meet_china_s_new_foreign_policy_team
· Tania Branigan. China's foreign policy is playing catch-up with its new status. The Guardian, Thursday 22 March 2012. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/22/china-foreign-policy-catchup-status
Documentaries and
Movies:
·
China's Role in the Middle East: Pan Guang
·
China and the Middle East: Rising Power and a
Region in Turmoil
·
Western Approaches: Responses to China from the
Middle East and Central Asia.
- Roberts: USA vs China in the Middle East
·
China's role in the Middle East
·
Journeys Into Islamic China - Huda Documentary
·
Muslim in China - Part 1
·
Recommended
Websites and Embassies:
·
Principles of China's Foreign Policy
·
http://english.hanban.org/
- http://tr.chineseembassy.org/eng/ Chinese Embassy in Turkey
- http://eg.china-embassy.org/ Chinese Embassy in Egypt
- http://ir.chineseembassy.org/ Chinese Embassy in Iran
- http://www.chinaembassy.org.sa/ Chinese Embassy in Saudi Arabia
- http://qa.china-embassy.org/eng/ Chinese Embassy in Qatar
- China and the Middle East: Rising Power and a Region in Turmoil
Course Philosophy:
The goal of this course is to
enable students to write a theoretically guided and empirically rooted research
paper. I expect you to become familiar with the social, political and
economic underpinnings of transformations in the Modern China.
The success of this course
depends on your continued and sustained reading and participation. The course
will be based on a four-dimensional method of learning, and this includes
inquiry and critical thinking; communication; the diversity of human
experience; and ethics and social responsibility. First, I would like you to
critically analyze what you learn in this class or have learned so far through
the media and education, because in today’s world, truth is a relative concept.
Throughout human history, critical thinking is the one of the most important
factors that has contributed to human development. In order to become
active, self-motivated, empowered learners and future leaders, you will need to
have the ability to think critically, and therefore your criticism, feedback
and suggestions are necessary. Second, I would like you to enhance your writing
and oral communication skills in this course. Therefore, it is important to
clearly elaborate your arguments in the class discussion as well as in the
written assignments.
Third, we are each part of the human mosaic, and all have different experiences based on our social, political and economic differences. We can all learn from and respect each other and benefit from our diversity. Please try to learn from and understand those with different perspectives than you. Lastly, we need to learn that we are all part of this intellectual community and larger society, and all have social and ethical responsibilities to our family, community, classmates, and humanity. We live in a globalized world and therefore, we need to be aware of events in our community, and the world today. In order to enhance our knowledge, we must critically examine our social, political and economic environment in order to apply this knowledge to our experience.
Third, we are each part of the human mosaic, and all have different experiences based on our social, political and economic differences. We can all learn from and respect each other and benefit from our diversity. Please try to learn from and understand those with different perspectives than you. Lastly, we need to learn that we are all part of this intellectual community and larger society, and all have social and ethical responsibilities to our family, community, classmates, and humanity. We live in a globalized world and therefore, we need to be aware of events in our community, and the world today. In order to enhance our knowledge, we must critically examine our social, political and economic environment in order to apply this knowledge to our experience.
Course Requirements
To prevent confusion later,
please read the following information carefully:
This is a collaborative course
between student and instructor. In this class, we
aim to produce the following document:
- Draft Version of a Journal Article (9000-10.000 words)
Draft version of Journal
Article: For this requirement,
the instructor and student will write a draft version of the journal article based
on readings, interviews, and official documents. Therefore, this will be a collaborative
work. The journal article will be 9000-10,000 words. Also, the abstract of this
developing article will be submitted to an international conference. The tentative
article structure is shown below. There are four steps to complete this project:
· Creating
a draft version of an article
· Sharing
the article with scholars in the field for feedback and suggestions
· Presenting
the paper in an international conference:
· Submitting
the article to scholarly journals:
o Journal of Asian Studies
o China Information: A Journal on Contemporary
China Studies
o Journal of Contemporary China
Tentative
Title:
Chinese
Foreign Policy Towards the Middle East in the Neoliberal Era: Sociological
Analysis of the Political Economy of PRC
Tentative
Structure
- Introduction/Abstract of 300-600 Words
- Literature Review
- Political Economy of China
- Political Economy of the Middle East
- Social and Political Factors of Chinese Foreign Policy Towards Middle East: Uyghur Nationalism and Islam
- Countries to Review: Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt
- National Energy Rivals and Other Actors: Russia, India, and Europe
- US versus China: Middle East Oil Resources
- Future Trajectories of Chinese Foreign Policy
- Conclusion
Format: ASA citation and
bibliography format will be followed. All work should adhere to the guidelines
published by the American Sociological Association (ASA) at http://www.asanet.org/cs/root/topnav/sociology_depts/quick_style_guide
This is not a definitive
source, but is a Quick Guide provided by ASA.
Grades: Your grade for
this course will be based on your performance on the following components,
shown with their dates and respective weights:
The grading system in this
class is as follows:
A 95-100
A- 90-94
B+ 86-89
B 85
B- 80-84
C+ 76-79
C 75
C- 70-74
D+ 66-69
D 65
D- 60-64
F (Failure)
General:
-You are expected to follow PSU’s student code of
conduct, particularly 577-031-0135 and 577-031-0136, which can be found at
Violations of the code will be reported to the Office
of the Dean of Student Life.
-You are encouraged to take advantage of instructor
and TA office hours or email communication for help with coursework or anything
else connected with the course and your progress.
-If you are a student with a documented disability
and are registered with Disability Resource Center (503.725.4150 or TDD
725.6504), please contact the instructor immediately to arrange academic
accommodations.
-Make sure you have an ODIN account; this email will
be used for D2L and important emails from the instructor and TA. DO NOT
USE THE INTERNAL D2L mail function to contact us. If you do not typically use
your PSU ODIN account, figure out how to get your mail from this account
forwarded to the account you usually use.
