The powers that be

The consequences of China’s economic interests in the Middle East and North Africa involve a layer of investments on political and security levels. One such cost is in securing the safety of energy transports and another is in the provision of defense forces around the region with military hardware. An assessment of these investments reinforces the view that China is not yet playing a large role in the Middle East as either a naval policing force or supplier of arms, especially not when compared to the United States.  There is a lot of talk as to whether this is an Asian century: that China is destined to knock the US off its pedestal at the top of the global order. When it comes to the Middle East and North Africa, will Beijing’s involvement in the region move beyond ensuring energy security?  Greater Chinese involvement in the region beyond economics is