RED EYE ON THE NEWS . . . March 29, 2023

Chinese imperialists work on empire building
New York Times, 3/11–Finally, there is a peace deal of sorts in the Middle East…between Saudi Arabia and Iran…brokered...by China…Alliances and rivalries that have governed diplomacy for generations have…been upended. The Americans, who have been the central actors in the Middle East for the past three-quarters of a century, almost always the ones in the room where it happened, now find themselves on the sidelines during a moment of significant change. The Chinese, who for years played only a secondary role in the region, have suddenly transformed themselves into the new power player. And the Israelis, who have been courting the Saudis against their mutual adversaries in Tehran, now wonder where it leaves them. “There is no way around it — this is a big deal,” said Amy Hawthorne, deputy director for research at the Project on Middle East Democracy, a nonprofit group in Washington.

“Yes,the United States could not have brokered such a deal right now with Iran specifically, since we have no relations. But in a larger sense, China’s prestigious accomplishment vaults it into a new league diplomatically and outshines anything the U.S. has been able to achieve in the region since Biden came to office.”

Israeli bosses continue expansion into West Bank
France24, 3/12–Israeli soldiers shot dead three Palestinian gunmen after they fired at troops in the occupied northern West Bank near Nablus, the army said on Sunday, as violence in the region continued…The soldiers, members of the elite infantry Golani reconnaissance unit, grabbed three M-16 rifles and a pistol used by the Palestinians, the army said…Violence intensified last year, but has worsened in the West Bank since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to office in December in a governing coalition with ultra-Orthodox Jewish and extreme-right allies…Netanyahu…has vowed to continue the expansion of West Bank settlements…Since the start of the year, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed the lives of 81 Palestinian adults and children, including militants and civilians. Twelve Israeli civilians, including three children and one policeman, as well as one Ukrainian civilian have been killed over the same period…

China bosses aspire to run the world
Al Jazeera, 3/13–President Xi Jinping…thanked the delegates for giving him a third term and promised to “take the needs of the country as my mission, and the interests of the people as my yardstick”, according to the AFP news agency. “Security is the bedrock of development, while stability is a prerequisite for prosperity. “We must fully promote the modernisation of national defence and the armed forces, and build the people’s armed forces into a Great Wall of steel that effectively safeguards national sovereignty, security and development interests.The trust of the people is the greatest driving force pushing me forward, and also a heavy responsibility on my shoulders,” he said. “The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered an irreversible historical process.”...and reiterated that Taiwan was part of China.

The Great Game is on …in DR Congo
Der Spiegel, 2/9–In the faded Grande Salle of Manono, a small town in the Democratic Republic of Congo located a two-day drive from the nearest big city, the focus is on global politics. The question is: Who should be allowed access to the minerals of the future located in the earth below their feet? "The Chinese," or "the people from the West?"...According to geologists, though, the earth beneath Manono contains what might be the largest lithium deposit in the world. Completely untouched…Some have even said that control of Manono will translate to control over the global market price of lithium…the Congolese government does, in fact, have ambitious plans and has even established a battery research center at a university in the country. For now, though the focus continues to be on who holds sway over the world’s largest lithium deposits.