China and Iran: Ancient Partners in a Post-Imperial World.

• Author: Schade, Abigail
• Position: Book review

CHINA AND IRAN: ANCIENT PARTNERS IN A POST-IMPERIAL WORLD John W. Garret (Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 2006), 401 pages.

In this diplomatic history, John W. Garver, an American scholar of Chinese foreign relations, analyzes relations between China and Iran in the context of 20th-century geopolitics. According to Garver, this is the first book about the relationship to appear in English.

China's rise to world power status has accompanied its desire to combat European and American claims to hegemony Garver emphasizes that Sino-Iranian cooperation must be understood within this context. China views Iran as the major power in the Persian Gulf, with strategic dominance over oil resources. These resources are crucial to post-colonial economies as they challenge the heirs to Western imperialism in an era following colonial withdrawal. The drive to evict Western business interests and end the unjust "humiliation" of formerly great powers such as Persia (Iran) and China is the basis for this partnership. The rhetoric of "ancient partners" and "great civilizations" is rooted in this worldview. Indeed, Iran and China are connected by a long shared history of Silk Road trade and cultural...