As I’m typing this, Donald Trump has threatened to commit war crimes in Iran if Iran doesn’t make a deal to open the Strait of Hormuz — by 8 p.m. tonight.
We don’t know how the next 24 hours will play out — Trump could back down, or he might not, and draw the United States even deeper into this war. So, I kick off my conversation with Jacob Mardell by asking how the Chinese foreign policy community is interpreting this latest threat from Trump. Are they taking it seriously? What’s been the reaction?
Jacob Mardell is Lead Analyst at Sinification, a Substack that tracks debates in Chinese foreign policy. He scours Chinese publications, blogs, and official statements to help the rest of us get a pulse on foreign policy debates in China. We have a long conversation about the contours of Chinese thinking about the war in Iran and the broader Middle East, including whether China might be willing or able to step in as a credible mediator, as well as the risks and opportunities China sees should the U.S. get bogged down in another war in the Middle East.
You’ll learn a lot from this conversation. I know I did. And I’ve made it free for all. If you’d like to support my work bringing you these kinds of timely conversations with experts, please support Global Dispatches with a paid subscription.
