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Conclusion: China’s Role in Syria’s National Security

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Syria: From National Independence to Proxy War
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Abstract

The reconstruction debate in Syria has been afoot for a while, especially after the Syrian government with the help of its allies, Russia, Iran and, more discreetly, China, started to retrieve much of the lost territories from the other warring parties. In this final chapter, we argue that the question of reconstruction in times of prolonged conflict should address the interface between reconstruction and Syria’s national security. This is so because we believe that Syria will remain targeted by imperialist aggression. We also gather the Chinese perspective concerning the issue of reconstruction in Syria. Interestingly enough, Chinese references reveal that China is keen on supporting Syria, especially that it has a strategic interest insofar as furthering its Belt and Road plan in the Arab region.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Special thanks are due to Ms. Teo Sze Lynn Fiona, Mr. Tan Yong Kang Jasper, and Mr. Koh Kelvin.

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Correspondence to Linda Matar or Ali Kadri .

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Matar, L., Kadri, A. (2019). Conclusion: China’s Role in Syria’s National Security. In: Matar, L., Kadri, A. (eds) Syria: From National Independence to Proxy War. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98458-2_12

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