China and Middle East Conflicts
Published in 2020 by Routledge and available here, my most recent book stands out from other books on China in the Middle East by offering a historical perspective of its relations.
Instead of portraying China as a new and uncertain actor, my book recounts its past involvement in the region, which includes active support for nationalist movements from Algeria and Palestine to Eritrea and the Arabian Gulf in the 1960s and arms sales on both sides of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.
The book therefore offers a useful counterweight to current discussions.
I have presented on the book in several forums, including an interview for Diplomat magazine and recorded book launches for the Centre for British Research in the Levant and the Middle East Institute in New Delhi.
“Burton explores China’s shifting attitudes over several decades towards conflicts involving Egypt, Algeria, the Palestinians, the Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf Wars, the Islamic State organization, and Sudan. He explicitly addresses China’s influence on the systemic aspects of international politics, pointing to signs of change in norms and expectations about great power rivalries and spheres of influence. With clarity and balance, he weighs the multiple roles Beijing has played over time: disrupter, bystander, patron, mediator, and, most consistently, patient opportunist.”