China and Iran
Ancient Partners in a Post-Imperial World
Will be published approx. on 18. August 2006
Book
Hardback
277 pages
978-0-295-98630-2 (ISBN)
Description
Iran's nuclear aspirations increasingly dominate its relations with the United States and Europe. China remains one of Iran's strongest allies on the Security Council, and also its most likely supplier of technology and assistance, built on decades of close economic and military relations. Iran is enjoying strong new influence in the Middle East and Asia following record oil profits and Shi'i victories in Iraqi parliamentary elections. Like Iran, China fought for decades to increase its self-reliance and geopolitical influence after painful experiences under European colonialism, which spurred nationalist revolutions.
With China and Iran: Ancient Partners in a Post-Imperial World, John Garver breaks new ground on the relationship between the People's Republic of China and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Grounding his survey in the twin concepts of civilization and power, Garver explores the relationship between these two ancient and proud peoples, each of which consider the other a peer and a partner in their mutual determination to build a post-Western-dominated Asia. Successive governments of both China and Iran have recognized substantial national capabilities in each other, capabilities that allow the countries to achieve their own national interests through cooperation. These interests have varied - from countering Soviet expansionism to resisting U.S. unilateralism - but the cooperative relationship between the two nations has remained constant.
In his compelling analysis, Garver explores the evolution of Sino-Iranian relations through several phases, including Iran under the shah and before the 1979 revolution; from the 1979 revolution to 1989, a year marked both by the end of the Iran-Iraq war and the beginning of conflict in Sino-U.S. relations; and from 1989 to 2004. China and Iran includes discussion of the current debates at the International Atomic Energy Agency over Iran's nuclear programs and China's role in assisting these programs and in supporting Iran in international debates. Garver examines China's involvement in Iran's efforts to modernize its military, including China's offer of weapons, capital goods, and engineering services in exchange for Iranian oil, suggesting links between this energy exchange and China's support for Iran in political arenas.
In today's political climate, where China is recognized as a rising and increasingly influential global power and Iran as one of the most powerful nations in the Middle East, this book presents a crucial analysis of a topic of utmost importance to scholars and the general public today.
With China and Iran: Ancient Partners in a Post-Imperial World, John Garver breaks new ground on the relationship between the People's Republic of China and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Grounding his survey in the twin concepts of civilization and power, Garver explores the relationship between these two ancient and proud peoples, each of which consider the other a peer and a partner in their mutual determination to build a post-Western-dominated Asia. Successive governments of both China and Iran have recognized substantial national capabilities in each other, capabilities that allow the countries to achieve their own national interests through cooperation. These interests have varied - from countering Soviet expansionism to resisting U.S. unilateralism - but the cooperative relationship between the two nations has remained constant.
In his compelling analysis, Garver explores the evolution of Sino-Iranian relations through several phases, including Iran under the shah and before the 1979 revolution; from the 1979 revolution to 1989, a year marked both by the end of the Iran-Iraq war and the beginning of conflict in Sino-U.S. relations; and from 1989 to 2004. China and Iran includes discussion of the current debates at the International Atomic Energy Agency over Iran's nuclear programs and China's role in assisting these programs and in supporting Iran in international debates. Garver examines China's involvement in Iran's efforts to modernize its military, including China's offer of weapons, capital goods, and engineering services in exchange for Iranian oil, suggesting links between this energy exchange and China's support for Iran in political arenas.
In today's political climate, where China is recognized as a rising and increasingly influential global power and Iran as one of the most powerful nations in the Middle East, this book presents a crucial analysis of a topic of utmost importance to scholars and the general public today.
Reviews / Votes
"Could not be timelier..At a time when Washington is trying to cajole China into helping to halt Iranian efforts to build nuclear weapons and long-range missiles, diplomats and scholars ought to put this solid, sober, well-researched, reasonably priced book near the top of their reading lists."(Choice Magazine) "With this study, the author has written on a rarely discussed topic: Chinese-Iranian relations. He has done us a great service in doing so, not only by taking on an unusual topic, but also in doing it with gratifying length. . . . Garver has succeeded in capturing both the current context of the Sino-Iranian relationship and the much deeper historical context of their goals and attitudes. . . . The book deserves a wide audience."
(The Historian) "This thoughtful exploration of the important but little-understood relationship between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the People's Republic of China could not be timelier. . . . [Garver] provides precisely what policy makers need: historical perspective on Chinese-Iranian contact going back to imperial times, but concentrating on the late 20th century."
(Choice) "Garver's analysis of the past and future of the relationship is thoroughly researched, analytically astute, and lucidly presented.. Garver sees the relationship he is studying from the inside- what it means to be participants in their own mental worlds, from the outside- how it works geostrategically, and from all around, in historical, cultural, diplomatic, strategic, and economic dimensions."
(Political Science Quarterly) "A great contribution to our knowledge of Chinese foreign policy and its achievements with an important partner at a time of US preeminence. This work will appeal to the policymaker and professor alike, and would be suitable for both upper undergraduate and especially graduate courses. Whether readers are concerned with China's rise, the emergence of a more powerful Iran or interests and constraints for the United States in engaging these regional powers, China and Iran makes for an exacting, insightful and valuable read."
(The China Journal) "A comprehensive examination of the drivers, content, and possible implications of the relationship between China and Iran."
(Middle East Journal) "Interesting and timely."
(IIAS Newsletter) "Garver's work presents valuable insights into this relationship built on centuries of economic relations."
(Open Spaces) "An incisive and remarkably lucid historical overview. Garver's China and Iran is likely to recast our thinking on the dynamics and study of bilateral relations."
(Dawn)
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Seattle
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
2 line drawings,
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
689 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-295-98630-2 (9780295986302)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
07/2011
1st Edition
University of Washington Press
€33.99
Available for download
Person
John W. Garver is professor of international affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Among his previous books are Protracted Contest: Sino-Soviet Rivalry in the Twentieth Century and Face Off: China, the United States, and Taiwan's Democratization.
Content
List of illustrations
Preface and Acknowledgments
1. The Spirit of Sino-Iranian Relations: Civilization and Power
2. The PRC-Kingdom of Iran Relationship, 1971-78
3. Revolutionary Iran and Postrevolutionary China, 1979-88
4. Sino-Iranian Partnership and Post-Cold War U.S. Unipolar Preeminence, 1989-2004
5. The Xinjiang Factor in PRC-IRI Relations
6. China's Assistance to Iran's Nuclear Programs
7. China and Iran's Military Development Efforts
8. China-Iran Cooperation and the United States
9. The Sino-Iranian Energy-Economic Relationship
10. Patterns of Sino-Iranian Relations
Appendix. Chronology of Iran-China Relations
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Preface and Acknowledgments
1. The Spirit of Sino-Iranian Relations: Civilization and Power
2. The PRC-Kingdom of Iran Relationship, 1971-78
3. Revolutionary Iran and Postrevolutionary China, 1979-88
4. Sino-Iranian Partnership and Post-Cold War U.S. Unipolar Preeminence, 1989-2004
5. The Xinjiang Factor in PRC-IRI Relations
6. China's Assistance to Iran's Nuclear Programs
7. China and Iran's Military Development Efforts
8. China-Iran Cooperation and the United States
9. The Sino-Iranian Energy-Economic Relationship
10. Patterns of Sino-Iranian Relations
Appendix. Chronology of Iran-China Relations
Notes
Bibliography
Index