Overview

The war in Syria has put Russia at the centre of Middle Eastern politics. Moscow’s return to the region following a prolonged period of absence has enhanced its geopolitical status at a time it has emerged as a rival to the West. Yet, contrary to the media hype, Vladimir Putin is not set to become the new power-broker in this strategically important part of the world. Co-authored by a team of prominent scholars and analysts from the EU, US, Russia and the Middle East, this book explores Russia’s role in the Middle East and North Africa, the diverse drivers shaping its policy, and the response from local players. Chapters map out the history of Russian involvement, before and after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the impact on key issues such as security and defence, regional conflicts, arms trade, and energy, as well as relations influential states and country clusters such as Iran, the Gulf, Turkey, Israel, Egypt, and the Maghreb. It also looks at how the Middle East impacts on Russia’s relations with the West. The book offers a balanced assessment of Russian influence, highlighting both the political, diplomatic and commercial gains made thanks to Putin’s decision in September 2015 to intervene militarily in Syria and the constraints preventing Moscow from replacing the United States as a regional hegemon.

Full Product Details

Author:   Dimitar Bechev ,  Nicu Popescu ,  Stanislav Secrieru
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   I.B. Tauris
Weight:   0.490kg
ISBN:  

9780755636631

ISBN 10:   0755636635
Pages:   224
Publication Date:   29 July 2021
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

Part I: Russia in the Middle East: From the Soviet Union to Putin Chapter 1: The Soviet Union in the Middle East: An Overview Florence Gaub, Nicu Popescu, Dimitar Bechev Chapter 2: What Drives Russia’s Policy in the Middle East? Dmitri Trenin, Carnegie Moscow Part II: Russian Policy in Action Chapter 3: Russia in Syria: A Military Analysis Anton Lavrov, Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST), Moscow Chapter 4: The Non-War on Daesh Florence Gaub, EUISS Chapter 5: Russian Arms Exports in the Middle East Timofey Borisov, Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST), Moscow Chapter 6: Russia’s Energy Diplomacy in the Middle East Carole Nakhle, Crystol Energy Part III: Regional Partnerships Chapter 7: Russia and Iran: It’s Complicated Carol R. Saivetz, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Chapter 8: Russia and the ‘Resistance Axis’ Julien Barnes-Dacey, ECFR Chapter 9: Russia and Turkey: the Promise and the Limits of Partnership Dimitar Bechev, University of North Carolina/Atlantic Council Chapter 10: Understanding Russia-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) relations Dmitriy Frolovskiy, independent expert Chapter 11: Russia and Egypt: Precarious Honeymoon Alexey Khlebnikov, Russian International Affairs Council Chapter 12: The ‘Comrades’ in the Maghreb Dalia Ghanem, Carnegie Middle East Centre, Beirut Chapter 13: Russia and Israel: An Improbable Friendship Mark N. Katz, George Mason University Conclusion: Russia in the Middle East and North Africa: A Balance Sheet Stanislav Secrieru, Dimitar Bechev

Reviews

This short book addresses Russia's engagement with the entire region from Maghreb to Iran and Turkey ... The editors bring all these strings together in an excellent final essay. * The Arab Banker *

Author Information

Dr. Nicu Popescu leads the Wider Europe program at ECFR. Between May-December 2019, he served Minister of Foreign Affairs and of Moldova. He is author of the EU Foreign Policy and Post-Soviet Conflicts: Stealth Intervention’ (Routledge 2010) and co-editor of Democratization in EU Foreign Policy (2015). Dr. Dimitar Bechev is Research Fellow at UNC Chapel Hill as well as Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C. Amongst his publications are Rival Power: Russia in Southeast Europe (Yale, 2017) and Mediterranean Frontiers (IB Tauris, 2010, co-edited with Kalypso Nicolaidis). Dr. Stanislav Secrieru is senior analyst at the EU Institute for Security Studies where he covers Russian foreign and security policy. Prior to that, he held position with the Polish Institute of International Affairs and the Open Society European Policy Institute.

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