Narrow Results

It has been a subject of considerable scholarly interest ever since the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Israel signed the Abraham Accords brokered President of the United States in September 2020. However, little has been written about the impact of the Accords on China’s belt and road initiative (BRI) in the Middle East. Both scholars and politicians, including the Chinese leadership, have welcomed the move, but U.S. involvement in the implementation of the deal has raised some doubts. Since the United States openly opposes the BRI and overcoming China is one of the goals of its foreign policy. Under U.S. pressure, Israel has scrapped several agreements with China. The study examines how the Abraham Accords can escape the U.S. control trap against China’s BRI in the Middle East. It concludes that it is difficult for these countries to avoid U.S. influence, but that any country that has previously held bilateral talks with China will have to persuade the United States to abide by their previous agreements.

This chapter concludes this book about the contexts of Western Asia, a very diverse region with striking contrasts. It observes changes over time and emphasises the need for firms to adapt to changing contexts. Borders change and mindsets evolve. The chapter distinguishes between explicit and implicit assumptions that reflect cultural values. It reviews the characteristics of the bazaar and the firm-type economy. It then discusses the New Economy of high-tech booms and emphasises the similarity between the structured bazaar and the World Wide Web. After providing thoughts for the business sector, the chapter concludes with thoughts for policy-makers.