The purpose of the trip was to impress and deceive the ambassadors regarding the true power capacity of russia prior to a new war against the sublime porte. Fourth, because of the energy riches of the region. American fatigue in the middle east from 15 years of conflict and a genuine lack of clarity regarding u. Russia s multifaceted diplomatic relations and recent interventionist trend are likely to be superseded by longerterm. Abstract russian leaders especially vladimir putin have spoken on many occasions about how russia is. From lenin to putin durham modern middle east and islamic world series on free shipping on qualified orders. Russian strategy in the middle east rand corporation. Arab nationalism was highly antiwesterndue to western colonization of the arab world as well as support for israel and prowesternarab monar chies. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. G8 member s differed in their opinion s as to the causes of the war, their assessment s of israels response, and their. Therefore, after reading this book, one will notice that russia s motive to combat terrorism, defend assad and the syrian regime, and play an influential role in the middle east were factors inviting the russian elite to intervene in syria, but some of the main concerns may have been due to the nature of us russian interaction on the global arena.
Asia, which is, at least for the moment, free of a western presence. Over the past several months, media reports have made it seem like russias influence is growing in the middle east. An unusual coming together of circumstances has reinvigorated russias middle east policy. Download pdf since becoming president in 2000, vladimir putin has reinvigorated russia s middle east ties, a trend underscored. Russias return to the middle east european union institute for. S l o w y o u g o m a t t e r h o w and the middle east i. United states foreign policy in the middle east after the cold war jonathan cristol 48 4. The soviets were a strongman in the middle east, interceding to maintain tensions as a distraction to the west. All the main decisions in the russian empire were made by the tsar tsarist autocracy, so there was a uniformity of policy and a forcefulness during the long regimes of powerful leaders such as peter the great and catherine the great. Russian federation had to recreate a middle east policy from scratch. Islamic terrorism, arms transfers, natural resources, influence over former soviet spaces, general trade, and great power status.
Yet its motivations, decisionmaking processes and strategic objectives remain hard to pin down. Trumps middle east policy international policy digest. However, there were numerous weak tsarssuch as children with a regent. This extraordinary book charts the development of russias relations with the middle east from the russian revolution of 1917 to the present. In light of the new reality, concrete changes in russias middle east policies have begun to emerge. Putins apparent victories in spreading russian influence are mirages, some of which have come at a great cost. Over the past several months, media reports have made it seem like russia s influence is growing in the middle east.
Pdf russias middle east policy in the context of postcold war. Us department of defense, soviet military power, 1984, a152445. Russias strategic objectives in the middle east and north. During the 1990s, syrian russian relations retained some importance, but bilateral relations, partly restored after the 19921994 hiatus, were only a shadow of earlier sovietsyrian relations. Russian and middle eastern open sources and published rand research. Russia s po l i c y in t h e mi d d l e eas t pr o s p e c. Russias middle east energy diplomacy foreign affairs. Postsovietrussian foreign policy toward tha middle east 233 portunity to playa larger role in the region was the rise of arab nationalism. This is an excerpt from conflict and diplomacy in the middle east. Russia seeks to be able to effectively influence and shape outcomes, but a lack of means limits what it can achieve. Today, more than ever, this deeplytroubled region is the focus of power games between major global players vying for international influence.
We cannot, of course, be completely positive that the u. This study surveys russia s foreign policy objectives, focusing on its relations with its neighbors and its interests in the middle east. Russia s withdrawal from syria, middle east policy 23, no. This study surveys russia s foreign policy objectives, focusing on its relations with is neighbors and its interests in the middle east. Russian foreign policy in the middle east association of. Includes bibliographical references pages 273285 and index the end of the soviet union precipitated a reassessment of russia s foreign policy in many parts of the world, none more so than in the middle east. Schmierer moderating and executive director thomas r. What vladimir putin really wants in the middle east. 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. Nov 09, 2017 on october 27, political analyst aleksandr vedrussov published an article in the prokremlin russian newspaper izvestia, titled the middle east rubicon, explaining why the gulf countries have changed their views on moscow. Russia in the middle east motives, consequences, prospects. Russias curious relationship with the middle east from.
With the active involvement of putin himself, both through visiting. Russian diplomatic effort that accompanied it, the middle east has become a key testing. An unusual coming together of circumstances has reinvigorated russia s middle east policy. Should western forces precipitously withdraw from the hindu kush, russians reason, this would not only boost the morale of the muslim radicals, but also free up. The limits of russian strategy in the middle east rand corporation. Russian foreign policy demonstrates continuity and change. Progress on russias eastern gas strategy since then has been sluggish. Six factors are identified as most critical to russian foreign policy in the region. 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 russia s relationship with the middle east. Get your free copy here in 1787, the russian empress catherine ii visited crimea with several european ambassadors.
Policy challenges i 11 the establishment of close relations with the radical camp in the region. Providing this country, with an impressive array of possibilities mostly associated with superpower status. 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. In addition, she is a fellow at the european foundation for democracy and was previously with the peterson institute for international economics and the atlantic council. This would destabilize the region, increase islamist militancy, and destroy the nonproliferation regime. Although there is no question that moscows meddling in american elections is deeply worrying, it is just one aspect of the threat russia poses. Absent from this scene for the past quarter century, russia is now back with gusto. Russia considers better relations with middle eastern countries a means to avoid international isolation, to compensate for the negative effects of international sanctions and to put additional pressure on the west. The decision to increase russias presence in the middle east was also determined by economic drivers.
What vladimir putin really wants in the middle east foreign. Allowing expansion of russian naval facility in syria, radio free. Under vladimir putin, russia has embarked on a systematic challenge to the west. The decision to increase russia s presence in the middle east was also determined by economic drivers. Russia is losing in the middle east and around the world. Katz, visiting senior fellow at the middle east policy council, discusses russia s foreign policy stance and objectives in the middle east in the pages of russian analytical digest.
Dmitri trenin is the director of the carnegie moscow center and in this timely and fascinating book that provides a muchneeded counterpoint to western media thought pieces that made me rethink my assumptions about russian international policy, he examines russias history and interests in the middle east to assess its impact in the region. Concurrently, russia seeks veto authority over nations on its periphery in terms of their governmental, economic, and diplomatic decisions, to shatter the north atlantic treaty organization and change european and middle east security and economic structures to its favor. There are certain overarching russian foreign policy goals that guide how the kremlin sets and defines its agenda for different regions of. Russia is a founding member of the contact group and since the denver summit in june 1997 a member of the g8. During this period, new factors influenced moscows middle east policy. Ethnic, cultural, racial issues foreign policy geopolitics international relations political aspects postcommunism international aspects social change.
When vladimir putin first came to power over a decade ago, he launched a foreign policy initiative to improve russia s relations with and influence in the countries of the middle east, which had languished during the yeltsin era. Records of diplomatic and political contacts show increased exchanges of multilevel delegations between russia and the main regional. Senates december 2010 ratification of new start, as well as the democratic uprisings in the middle east that began in 2011, caused the kremlin to back off from its previous support for the obama administrations policy toward iran over the nuclear issue. Russian foreign policy in the middle east under putin. Middle east policy specific to that region but coordinates its actions in accordance with its overall approach to world affairs. Nov 29, 2017 the eyes of the world are on the middle east. The following is an edited transcript of the ninetyninth in a series of capitol hill conferences convened by the middle east policy council.
Russias return to the middle east 9 nicu popescu and stanislav secrieru russias regional perspective in mena the soviet union in the middle east. 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. After all, russian air support helped syrian president bashar alassads regime regain the upper hand against the rebels in syria. The middle east as viewed by the president is not a crucial region for survival of 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 addition to negotiating a may 2014 deal for russias gazprom company to supply up to 38 billion cubic meters of gas to china national petroleum corporation for 30 years, china became a source of loans for oil and liquefied natural gas lng projects aimed at its market. Soviet middle eastern foreign policy during the cold war. The foreign policy of the russian empire covers russian foreign relations down to 1917.
What is russia up to in the middle east trenin, dmitri. Nov 18, 2019 russia is losing in the middle eastand around the world. Anna borshchevskaya is the ira weiner fellow at the washington institute, focusing on russia s policy toward the middle east. Presentday russian activism in the middle east builds upon historical experience. In the middle east, russia is back the washington post. Russians have a major interest in technological cooperation with israel, a country with which they enjoy visafree travel. Concurrently, russia engaged in feverish activity in regional politics, at the. Russias key partners historically, russias main contacts in the middle east used to be turkey and iran. Russia middle east policy gulf middle east media research. In the quarter century after the end of the cold war, russia and turkey made a spectacular transition from ageold adversity to mutual respect and understanding, despite the many differences.
Ultimately, for moscow it is a matter of acquiring leverage to improve russias room to maneuver in the arabmuslim world and to. The middle east is not an important source of energy resources. The russian federation has acted in several scenarios and, since 2000, with vladimir putin, its main objective has been to consolidate the status of the russian federation as a great power. Moscows january 2000 foreign policy conceptwhich, among other goals, aimed at returning russia to the middle easthighlighted attempts to create an international relations structure based on domination by developed western countries in the international community, under u. The four pillars of russia s middle east policy divisions over the lebanese crisis surfaced at the 2006 g8 summit in st. Nikolay kozhanov the current russian presence in the middle east is unprecedented for the region since the fall of the soviet union. Russia has been eager to regain at least some of the regional stature enjoyed by the soviet union, and has sought to foster ties with different elements across the entire political spectrum, from israel to moderate sunni states to the radical axis. The middle east states have the greatest power and agency to determine the viability of any russian strategy. With rare exceptions, these principles are shown to guide russian foreign policy in the middle east. The meeting was held on january 17, 2020, in the russell senate office building with ambassador richard j. Pdf on feb 1, 2019, tristan kenderdine and others published russia s middle east policy. Russias policies in the middle east and the pendulum of. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. First, russia s military leaders acquired more political power during the syrian war, and the media repeated their talking points by pushing back against the opinion that russian troops should not respond to israeli strikes on hezbollah or iranian positions in syria.
Vasiliev notes that sovietiranian relations improved after 1963, when the shah promised not to allow us missiles to be based in iran. Dec 15, 2017 the history that trenin brings to bear on the current crisis in the middle east ranges from the christianization of kievan rus in the 10th century to russias betrayals by the west after 911. Similar to china, russia is becoming one among few countries that will pursue an independent foreign policy course and play a significant role in a number of key regionseurope, northeast asia, and the socalled greater middle eastthe areas with predominantly muslim populations southward from russia. Russia s active participation in resolving crisis situations in the middle east, primarily in syria, influenced the change in the gcc policy towards russia, which realized its increased interest. The geopolitics of postsoviet russia and the middle east. From lenin to putin durham modern middle east and islamic world series. Russian areas, from the urals to the far east, are greening with the number of muslims there rising due to the arrival of task force on u.
It covers both high and low points the closeness to nassers egypt, followed by reversal. What vladimir putin really wants in the middle east a new book translates russia s fears and hopes for syria, and the wider region, for an american audience. When vladimir putin first came to power over a decade ago, he launched a foreign policy initiative to improve russias relations with and influence in the countries of the middle east, which had languished during the yeltsin era. Back to a grand strategy or enforcing multilateralism. Russia the washington institute for near east policy. Moscows policy changed after the yom kippur war as it used its client states to act out aggression toward the west in the iraniraq war. Middle east nuclear weapon free zone delivered by holly. 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. This paper analyzes contemporary russian foreign policy toward the middle east.
Abstract russian leaders especially vladimir putin have spoken on many occasions about how russia is once again a great power. Vladimir putins russia is losing power in the middle east. Petersburg, which was overshadowed by events in the middle east. Russia sees itself as an energy power, and looks for opportunities south of the border. Shibley telhami has conducted a public opinion poll which examines american attitudes toward the middle east, including the israelipalestinian conflict, iran, and russia s role in the region.
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. Alfa fellow at the moscow carnegie center and institute of oriental studies and a dphil candidate in international relations at st. According to the author, russia has crossed the rubicon in its relation with middle east countries. Russia has been eager to regain at least some of the. Russian foreign policy and the middle east beginning in 2005, russia noticeably increased its engagement in the middle east. Yet, quite frequently and for long periods of time during the empire, the soviet period, and in the current iteration of. With the start of the military intervention in syria in 2015, and the u.
Russia is pursuing a middle eastern policy that is designed to reduce u. In the broader universe of moscows foreign policy, the middle east generally ranks after the united states, europe, and china and asia. Many observers believe that the greatest damage russia has done to u. Indeed, russia s january 2000 foreign policy concept defined moscows priorities in the middle east as to restore and strengthen russia s positions, particularly economic ones, and highlighted the importance of continuing to develop ties.