Ussr, russia relinquished its involvement in the middle east. The middle east has been one of the most significant regions within the context of moscows foreign policy orientation. Today, russia sees the arab spring as a threat because not only is it toppling regional allies and clients, but it seems to be an example to some of the russian protestors who have used some of the very same methods and technology to organize the protests in moscow, said paul du quenoy in this interview on russias relationship with the middle east. The sales he stated are in line with the international law and in the interests of strengthening stability and maintaining security in regions close to russian borders, lavrov told reporters. Nov 18, 2015 what does russia really want in syria. Russias involvement in syria has given its relatio ns with neighbouring countries a new momentum. Russian access to these resources as part of an influence strategy, then moscow must find new sources of capital and technology unencumbered by strings that are designed to restrict or hamper its great power status or its ability to project influence and power.
Foreign policy in the middle east noam chomsky the topic i am addressing might be understood in two ways. After all, russian air support helped syrian president bashar alassads regime regain the upper hand against the rebels in syria. Even though russian relations with israel and us have weakened because of the russian policy in the middle east, russian influence in the middle east has increased. Pdf turkeys geopolitical interests and middle east revolts. Russias interests in the middle east and south asia. Sep 12, 2017 russias hand is visible everywhere in the middle east.
Some foreign ministries have been illequipped to deal with the multifaceted and fast moving events on the ground in the contemporary middle east, with particular reference to the transitions in egypt, libya and syria. This perspective seeks to identify the important elements of russian interests in the middle east beyond syria, to define the nature of russian engagement in the region, and to describe the contours of a russian strategy in the middle east. At the same time, angola placed a large arms order. Its successor the soviet union worked for at least half a. The kremlin again sees russia as a great power on a global scale, and as such it cannot ignore a region so close geographically, so rich in hydrocarbons, and so unstable socially and politically as the middle east. Concurrently, russia engaged in feverish activity in regional politics, at the. This book is the first to offer a comprehensive survey of moscows foreign policy interests in syria.
Several countries in the middle east also are among the few consumers of russian hightechnology exports. What we are seeing is a serious, sincere effort to reshape regional security dynamics and halt a wave of revolutionary upheaval deemed inimical to longterm russian interests. Recurring confrontations with the west are one of the main factors compelling russia to intensify its activities in the middle east. Russias hand is visible everywhere in the middle east. In order to categorize russias renewed interests of today, it will be helpful to identify the cold war interests in the horn of africa which is mentioned above. Arturo varvelli is senior research fellow and cohead of the middle east and north africa center at the italian institute for international political studies ispi in milan, italy. Another problem for the western world is the relationship between russia and iran, but here russia has actually agreed on some terms to halt the iranian nuclear proses. Records of diplomatic and political contacts show increased exchanges of multilevel delegations between russia and the main regional. Russia, the united states, and the middle east center. The russian deployment to syria likely supports multiple objectives. Recently, russian political scientists have caused a lot of confusion amid public perception in regards to the middle eastern region, both knowingly and unknowingly. Russia is pursuing a middle eastern policy that is designed to reduce u. What vladimir putin really wants in the middle east.
It is a defensive policy aimed mainly at developing its traditional political and economic interests in the region and protecting its southern borders. From 2005 to 2007, president vladimir putin visited egypt, israel, saudi arabia, jordan, qatar, turkey, iran, and the united arab emirates uae, and russia gained observer sta. Russia s po l i c y in t h e mi d d l e eas t pr o s p e c. He invaded georgia, an american client state, knowing that the united states lacked the force to respond, given iraq and afghanistan. Sep, 2016 but beyond syria, a much broader strategic rationale for enhanced russian iranian partnership is taking shape, one focused not just on thwarting u. Dec 15, 2017 what vladimir putin really wants in the middle east a new book translates russias fears and hopes for syria, and the wider region, for an american audience. Moscow has used its newfound influence in the middle east to thwart the u. What vladimir putin really wants in the middle east a new book translates russias fears and hopes for syria, and the wider region, for an american audience. Why russia is threatening the us in syria geopolitical futures. The author considers the kremlins diplomacy on syria within the broader system of russian foreign policy in the middle east. The russian 1 bobo lo was the first to note this aspect of russias foreign policy.
Russias domestic political challenges which provide important underlying core drivers for russias middle east policies. S l o w y o u g o m a t t e r h o w and the middle east i. Policy challenges i 11 the establishment of close relations with the radical camp in the region. Russian federation had to recreate a middle east policy from scratch. Russian efforts to influence the middle east and counter u. Another negative effect on russias ties with the middle east was russias aggression against chechen muslims and its stance favoring serbia against muslim bosnia. Apr 14, 2020 today, russia sees the arab spring as a threat because not only is it toppling regional allies and clients, but it seems to be an example to some of the russian protestors who have used some of the very same methods and technology to organize the protests in moscow, said paul du quenoy in this interview on russias relationship with the middle east. Yet in contrast to europe, another region of longstanding. There is good reason to broaden our understanding of russian strategy in the middle east. Israelirussian relations in syria focus on coordinating military activities and avoiding any incidents, such as turkeys recent shooting down of a russian airplane. They were produced in bipolar world rivalry and security approach of the cold war. Russias strategic objectives in the middle east and north africa.
Russia and china share a number of interests in the middle east. Russia s po l i c y in t h e mi d d l e eas t pr o s p e c t. Russia has goals, but to western observers they appear to be either transactional or, in the longer term, generalizable to the point that they constitute broad precepts rather than global, regional, or statespecific strategies. Russias many interests in syria the washington institute. Russias hand is visible everywhere in the middle east the.
Russias curious relationship with the middle east from. With the start of the military intervention in syria in 2015, and the u. For over two centuries, russian foreign policy was focused on displacing the ottoman empire from the black sea region and the balkans. In general, russias as several interests in africa, and the horn of africa in particular. It enables russia to pursue the limited objective of securing its military interests on the syrian coast, where the port of tartus is russias only remaining middle east base and where many dual russiansyrian citizens live. Russian foreign policy and the middle east beginning in 2005, russia noticeably increased its engagement in the middle east. There has been american and western interests in the middle east involving military, political and economic issues for at least 100 years from the united states, great britain and france. When the syrian uprising began in march 2011, perhaps 100,000 russian citizens were living there. Russia the washington institute for near east policy. Policy toward russia, ukraine, and eurasia project in the broader universe of moscows foreign policy, the middle east generally ranks after the united states, europe, and china and asia. Suchkov in 2015, moscow set an important precedent for its foreign policy when it decided to launch a largescale operation outside of what it. The collective input of the contributors identifies four categories of us national objectives in the middle east.
Russias best asset in the middle east andrej kreutz november 2010. Haftar met with russian officials in an effort to secure military support that would prepare for his control of libya. Russias foreign policy towards syria and the greater middle east is generally not aggressive. Russias strategic objectives in the middle east and north. Russias influence in the middle east is growing as moscows strategy combines the needs and weaknesses of the region to build constructive relations. Back to a grand strategy or enforcing multilateralism. President donald trump sat across from russian president vladimir putin on the sidelines of the g20 summit on july 7, but we do know they talked a lot about the middle east. Because syria was key to the soviet position in the middle east, syrians were referred to as allies and friends in public broadcasts and statements. In the broader universe of moscow s foreign policy, the middle east generally ranks after the united states, europe, and china and asia. Russias reappearance as a player in the middle east under president vladimir putin has the aim of restoring the countrys position as a great power outside of the former ussr.
Despite divergent interests, iran, turkey and israel cooperate with russia and acknowledge its leadership in syria. All of this is not to dismiss russias expanding role in the middle east as foolhardy or destined for failure. Syria allows us to make several conclusions about russian foreign policy beyond the middle east. Imperial russia began asserting its interests in the region in the nineteenth century. Todays posited us interests in the middle east can be broken down into five areas. The upsurge of russian activism in the military, diplomatic and even economic spheres in the middle east raises the question of. Russias foreign minister sergei lavrov said his countrys sale of weapons to syria would not upset the balance of power in the middle east. Russia does not want destabilization in the middle east spilling over into the caucasus, central asia, and central russia, where there is a confluence of strong russian interests and islam. Nov 18, 2019 russia and china share a number of interests in the middle east. But beyond syria, a much broader strategic rationale for enhanced russianiranian partnership is taking shape, one focused not just on thwarting u. Over the past several months, media reports have made it seem like russias influence is growing in the middle east. The upsurge of russian activism in the military, diplomatic and even economic spheres in the middle east raises the question of whether moscow. Karim mezran is resident senior fellow at the the mena region. Turkeys geopolitical interests and middle east revolts, russian journal of international affairs.
The geopolitical importance of the region, abundant energy resources and close proximity to the caucasus borders increase its value in the russian. The middle easts role as an energy exporter directly. Russia s past and present policies in the region were and remain a function of its rivalry with the west, notably the united states. There is good reason to broaden our understanding of. For their part, russian companies have interests in oil and gas projects in countries such as iraq, iran, saudi arabia, libya, algeria, and others. While russia has had an interest in the middle east and south asia for centuries for instance, in the great game between the russian and british empires over afghanistan and central asia, the contemporary framework of moscows interests in. Both fear sunni jihadists such as al qaeda and islamic state since these are antirussian and antishia, as well as antiwestern and antiisraeli. Rafik hariri center for the middle east at the atlantic council in washington, dc. S l o w y o u g o m a t t e r h o w and the middle east i t d. Nikolay kozhanov the current russian presence in the middle east is unprecedented for the region since the fall of the soviet union. The middle east is encountered here as a constitutive element in the struggle to defeat chechen secessionism and to counter the broader threat of islamist extremism within the russian federation.
Russias plan for the middle east the national interest. The middle east is critical to russia due to a combination of multiple factors. Understanding russias new role in the middle east lawfare. This perspective seeks to identify the important elements of russian interests in middle east beyond syria, to define the nature of russian engagement in the region, and to describe the contours of a russian strategy in the middle east. The middle east, therefore, factors into russian grand strategy in a number of. The most important of them is that moscow is not afraid. Current debates on russias growing role in the middle east sound like an echo of the early 1980s. Another negative effect on russias ties with the middle east was russias aggression against chechen muslims and its. Russia also has economic interests in the middle east, including expanding economic ties with the region through arms sales, nuclear technology, and the oil and gas markets belei, marten, tashev, as well as supporting energy prices by coordination with principal oil and gas producers in the persian gulf tashev. The united states has long been involved in the middle east, and its role has only grown since the end of the cold war. Syria as an increasingly important trading hub for chinese interests in the middle east and africa. To provide a definite answer one must have a profound understanding of russias national interests in the middle east. Presentday russian activism in the middle east builds upon historical experience.
Both fear sunni jihadists such as al qaeda and islamic state since these are anti russian and antishia, as well as antiwestern and antiisraeli. Russias renewed interests in the horn of africa as a. My work on these issues will result in a book on changing u. Moscows objectives, priorities, and policy drivers. Both fear their internal democratic opponents and believe that america supports them. The apparently poor performance of russian equipment during the persian gulf war discouraged many middle eastern states from buying russian arms. Putin that russian interests lie in supporting a politi. Russian strategy in the middle east rand corporation. Oct 04, 2016 he used that time to rebuild russian power as well as possible and to assert its presence in the former soviet union. The instrumentalization of energy and arms sales in russia.
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