The Vital Triangle

This volume explores the complex interrelationships among China, the United States, and the Middle Eastwhat the authors call the vital triangle. There is surely much to be gained from continuing the conventional two-dimensional analysisChina and the United States, the United States and the Middle East, and China and the Middle East. Such scholarship has a long history and no doubt a long future. But it is the three-dimensional equationwhich seeks to understand the effects of the ChinaMiddle East relationship on the United States, the U.S.Middle East relationship on China, and the Sino-American relationship on the Middle Eastthat draws the authors attention. This approach captures the true dynamics of change in world affairs and the spiraling up and down of national interests. Central to this analysis is a belief that if any one of the three sides of this triangular relationship is unhappy, it has the power to make the other two unhappy as well. The stakes and the intimacy of the interrelationship highlight not only the importance of reaching accommodation, but also the potential payoff of agreement on common purpose.