Russian ties to the middle east go back centuries and provide a valuable foundation on which to build. War marked the decline of the soviet unions superpower status. The decision to increase russia s presence in the middle east was also determined by economic drivers. Only a few pages later, however, he hints that russia is playing a bigger game in both the middle east and beyond. Russia is now in a position of force to be a peace broker in some areas or an efficient conflict mediator in others, engaged in keeping the stability of the middle east, a stability that mainly serves its major interests and goals. This would allow it to offer to cooperate with the u. Chairwoman roslehtinen, ranking member deutch, honorable members, thank you for the opportunity to testify today regarding russia s strategic objectives in the middle east and north africa. Russia and turkey make joint call for ceasefire in libya. Policy challenges i 11 the establishment of close relations with the radical camp in the region. Russia is making a concerted effort to reclaim its role as the arms supplier of choice for arab governments. A brief guide to russias return to the middle east. Using the lessons learned, russia has made substantial gains by increasing its influence and countering the u. Both countries are in key locations of the middle east, and they have been affecting middle eastern politics during the past three decades. The middle east 2017 4 ern syriaand the panels on both iran and russia raised doubts about the willingness of either moscow or tehran to continue to pour resources into syria to do so.
Analyzing russian strategy can help prevent unwelcome surprises. There is an outpouring of reporting on russian activities in syria, and to a lesser degree other countries in the middle. Concurrently, russia engaged in feverish activity in regional politics, at the. We engaged participants from russia, the middle east, europe, and the united russian strategy in the middle east james sladden, becca wasser, ben connable, sarah grandclement. Borshchevskayas prepared remarks before the house subcommittee on the middle east and north africa.
Andaman islands india nicobar islands india lakshadweep india spratly islands hainan dao sakhalin wrangel island new siberian severnaya islands zemlya kuril islands franz josef land novaya zemlya luzon. However, when it comes to the middle east, trenin asserts that russia is not aiming to displace america from the region moscow had no interest and no means to fill the void. Timorleste 1972 line of control line of actual control indian claim taiwan macau s. From its quest for warm water ports and access to the mediterranean in the eighteenth century, to its policy of protecting fellow orthodox christians living in ottoman lands in the nineteenth century, russia historically has been a factor in. Russias multifaceted diplomatic relations and recent interventionist trend are likely to be superseded by longerterm. Fourth, because of the energy riches of the region.
Coordination with the energyproducing states of the middle east is vital to russias plans to utilize oil and gas revenues for its own. Nov 23, 2018 the middle east was never at the top of the russian or the soviet agenda until the arrival of putin. However, the eu can cooperate with russia and china on upholding the joint comprehensive plan of action on irans nuclear programme. How china uses russia to counter america in the middle. Russia sees itself as an energy power, and looks for opportunities south of the border. Ultimately, for moscow it is a matter of acquiring leverage to improve russias room to maneuver in the arabmuslim world and to. Soviet middle eastern foreign policy during the cold war. Russian foreign policy in the middle east under putin.
The decision to increase russias presence in the middle east was also determined by economic drivers. Over the past several months, media reports have made it seem like russias influence is growing in the middle east. Russia and the arabs reads like a spy thriller, yet it is a profound study of russias involvement in the middle east based on unique firsthand experience and serious analysis. Secrieru, russias return to the middle east, chaillot paper 146, euiss paris. 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. In the middle east, russia is back the washington post. The superpowers interacted with proxy combatants, which factored into the soviet unions omission from the camp david accords. To recap, putins general objective in the middle east is to establish russias status and role as a major outside power in one of the worlds most volatile regions. If washington wants to limit moscows influence and improve the u. Russian military intervention in syria was not an attempt to exert domi nance as a hegemonic power in the middle east. The middle east states have the greatest power and agency to determine the viability of any russian strategy. No serious student of the region will be able to ignore it.
Middle east nuclear weapon free zone delivered by holly. Russia and china target middle east arms deals the shift in a major defense market long dominated by u. East china sea yellow sea sea of japan sea of okhotsk east siberian sea laptev sea kara sea arctic ocean barents sea. Nov 18, 2019 in the middle east, the eu is already a weaker economic actor than china and a weaker military player than russia. Vladimir putins russia is losing power in the middle east. In the last 15 years, the centre of gravity has slowly shifted from the atlantic to the pacific. Russias curious relationship with the middle east from.
I will focus on president vladimir putins efforts to return russia to the middle east and especially highlight. Middle east states use russia as an alternative and a signal to the west. Russias policy in syria and the middle east central asia program. On december 9, 20, the brookings doha center bdc hosted a policy discussion on russias role in the middle east. Presentday russian activism in the middle east builds upon historical experience. Build russias position as an alternative pole of global power. This article was originally published here on on friday, march 16, 2018 when russia intervened in syria in. Russia seeks to be able to effectively influence and shape outcomes, but a lack of means limits what it can achieve. The middle east is one of the regions of the world where russia can demonstrate its relevance as an agendasetting power, and into which russia can credibly project a modicum of military power. 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. The threats from russia and the middle east he art of war has changed considerably since the end of the second world war. Russia and china in the middle east rand corporation. Mar 07, 2017 russia views the middle east as its near abroad, and is in the early stages of executing a longterm strategy in an attempt to return itself to the powerful stature and influence it had in the.
Russia in the middle east in 2015, russia returned to the middle east with its intervention in the syrian civil war, deploying military personnel outside what moscow considers its near. Russias strategic objectives in the middle east and north. Russia in the middle east pdf the jamestown foundation. Russia in the middle east in 2015, russia returned to the middle east with its intervention in the syrian civil war, deploying military personnel outside what moscow considers its near abroad for the first time since the fall of the soviet union. Russias strategic objectives in the middle east and north africa. Russia is in the middle east to stay council on foreign. 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.
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. What is russia up to in the middle east trenin, dmitri. A wmdfz in the middle east should be strongly supported as an important contribution to global security and the nonproliferation regime. From the russian perspective, the middle east serves as a region where moscow can showcase its mil itary prowess and geopolitical weight, and elevate its 3 carole nakhle, russias energy diplomacy in the middle east.
However, following the 911 attacks and in particular after the arab spring putins russia saw in the middle easts volatile condition as an excellent opportunity to expand its influence. Russias return to the middle east nicu popescu and stanislav secrieru the us department of defenses 1984 annual assessment of soviet military power was particularly concerned with the rise of moscows influence in the middle east and beyond. After all, russian air support helped syrian president bashar alassads regime regain the upper hand against the rebels in syria. Nov 18, 2019 russia is losing in the middle eastand around the world. In 2011, it looked as if the arab spring uprisings would deal a further blow to russia s declining influence in the middle east, by toppling syrian president assad, one of bashar almoscows few remaining allies in the region. From open hostility, confrontation, and proxy warfare. This article explores explanations of russias unyielding alignment with the syrian regime of bashar alassad since the syrian crisis erupted in the spring of 2011.
Russias plan for the middle east the national interest. According to jubin goodarzi, an assistant professor and researcher at webster university, the iraniansyrian alliance that was formed in 1979 is of great importance to the emergence and continuity of the axis of resistance. Russia, turkey, united states viewed in middle east as. Israel and russia in an evolving middle east scott b.
Pdf why russia always failed in the middle east by. There is good reason to broaden our understanding of russian strategy 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. The soviets were south yemens major partner, but south yemen does not exist anymore. The two workshops were convened in london and washington, d. Russia considers better relations with middle eastern countries a means to avoid international isolation, to compensate for the negative effects of. S l o w y o u g o m a t t e r h o w and the middle east i. Ulaanbaatar beijing pyongyang seoul vientiane bangkok dhaka new delhi male colombo kuala lumpur.
This article explores explanations of russia s unyielding alignment with the syrian regime of bashar alassad since the syrian crisis erupted in the spring of 2011. Russia has achieved this through a strategy that combines the needs and weaknesses of the middle east, while coincidentally benefitting from the relative decline by choice of the united states. Russia and china target middle east arms deals wsj. Historically, russias main contacts in the middle east used to be turkey and iran. Members of the russian army sit atop an armored personal vehicle with a logo of soldier of fortune, july 18, 1995 in grozny.
Russian strategy in the middle east rand corporation. Putins apparent victories in spreading russian influence are mirages, some of which have come at a great cost. Suchkov in 2015, moscow set an important precedent for its foreign policy when it decided to launch a largescale operation outside of what it. Two opposing coalitions in the middle east define a rivalry that threatens to tear the region apart. Speakers assessed russias political objectives in the region, its. In the past, nuclear weapons free zones have proved a useful. Russias innovative presence in the middle east region can be embodied in the form of joint ventures, the outsourcing of a number of industries and the provision of technological services as. Many in israel and elsewhere feel that the rise of russian dominance in syria is either leading to a scenario with isaiah 17 with its wipeout of damascus, the capital of syria, or the events that trigger ezekiel 38 with an invasion of israel headed up by iran and, probably, russia. Oct 11, 2017 russia, however, is pursuing this strategy not because it wants to be a major leader in the middle east, but because it wants to accumulate as much influence as possible. Russian policy across the middle east chatham house. Pdf russia being one of the major super powers in the region not only ceased to view the middle east as the secondary important player and develop.
Back to a grand strategy or enforcing multilateralism. Vasiliev notes that sovietiranian relations improved after 1963, when the shah promised not to allow us missiles to be based in iran. 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. Pdf on feb 1, 2019, tristan kenderdine and others published russia s middle east policy. Russias sense of national pride and specialness is shaped by immense geographic size, which imbues a sense of innate global role and significance. As competition for dominance intensifies, the confrontation between irans network of state and nonstate actors, and a counterfront of traditional western allies centred on saudi arabia, the united arab emirates, and israel has become the regions central battle line. Russias return to the middle east european union institute for. The soviet union used its relationship with europe to gain economic cooperation with the arab world during the cold war and its influence in the middle east by inciting proxy conflicts between the arab states and their jewish neighbors. Pdf on feb 1, 2019, tristan kenderdine and others published russias middle east policy. The middle east as a geopolitical arena russia in the middle east china in the middle east the united states in the middle east chinarussia usachina regional powers and the wars in iraq foreign and regional powers in the middle east the wrong explanations of the. Lasensky, vera michlinshapir since the end of the cold war, and particularly under vladimir putin, russias relations with israel have transformed dramatically.
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