China and US policy in the Persian Gulf: is a new security architecture evolving?

The fast-changing global order with the rise of China and an expansionist Russia begs the question of whether a new security architecture is developing in the Persian Gulf. The chapter concludes that there are strong indications that this is the case, and that China is playing a bigger role but has no intentions to replace the US as primary security provider. Current debates on whether America is still committed to the Carter Doctrine, the goals of US strategy in the Persian Gulf, and the implications of the failures in Iraq and Afghanistan are also explored in a comprehensive response to this question.