Any Israeli attack on Iran will have tremendous impact on geopolitics.
Iran could retaliate with its full military might, and unlike previous Israeli air strikes against its opponents' nuclear facilities, Israel could very well find itself in a protracted conflict between itself and Iran as well as the Islamic community.
Long protracted warfare in the Middle East will have a huge impact on world oil supplies, affecting the world economic recovery.
China has a friendly relationship with Iran, and its investment in Iran's infrastructure and energy sector will be jeopardized if a conflict breaks out between Israel and Iran. China needs continuous oil imports from Iran for its economic health now and in the future. For economic reasons, China should do everything it can to make sure that peace reigns in the Middle East and in the world as a whole.
But there are more important reasons than economic ones that China should play a prominent role in maintaining peace in the Middle East and in the world.
As the biggest and most populous Third World country, China has a moral responsibility to make sure that Third World countries are not being bullied by former colonial powers.
What happened in Iraq and Libya should never be allowed to happen again. What is happening in Syria and Afghanistan should never be allowed to happen again. The United Nations and UN Security Council should be true to its charter.
Outside forces should never be allowed to get involved in the internal disputes of other countries in the name of human rights or democracy.
The world should learn a lesson from the destruction and slaughter of civilian populations that have occurred in the name of humanitarian intervention in Libya and Iraq. The humanitarian disaster in Syria is deteriorating every day now because of outside involvement in its internal disputes.
The Third World countries should unite. They should tell the former colonizers to keep their hands off their internal disputes. China should do more to make sure that Third World nations do not suffer the fate of Iraq and Libya in the future without doing everything within its power to prevent it.
Only when every Third World country enjoys peace and security can China be really secure and enjoy long-term peace.
I hope that Jewish people will have the wisdom to see the potential danger its attack on Iran could bring about to itself, and chooses a path of peaceful co-existence with the Iranian people.
Israel will be more secure if Iran is secure. Threatening Iran militarily will only result in greater danger for the Israeli people.
The author is a professor of history and political science at the Warren Wilson College in the US.
The opinions expressed here do not represent the views of the China Daily website.
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