Russian foreign policy in the Middle East under Putin and Medvedev

Abstract

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the newborn Russian Federation found itself at the beginning of a long and winding road. Which path to take, which journey to make ... nobody knew what and how to do after this most decisive geopolitical event in recent history. What followed were Russia's genuine attempts to integrate into the New World Order and to experiment a bit further with democracy after glasnost and perestroika. However shadows soon befell the Kremlin and after several crises, Moscow thought again about its own way. It was Vladimir Putin who finally pushed Russia back into the orbit of a powerful state; away from the shyness, timidity and naivete of the Yeltsin Era. Bearing on the mistakes and horrendous failures of this administration, Putin sought to make things right and after getting grip of the state, Russia started to undertake a more expansionist and assertive Foreign Policy. Taking the signs of the time - the slow demise of American hegemony and the Rise of the Rest - Putin steered Russia on a path to regain the power and prestige it once possessed. One region which has witnessed Moscow's strength for decades is the Middle East, an ominous region, bound together by vast resources of oil and gas, enduring conflicts and a case-study in "Imperial Overstrech". For some years now, the Kremlin is seemingly reemerging in this region. Drawing its strength from its energy and arms arsenal, Moscow is courting states in the region in order to prick the mighty rival America with pins and needles and establishing a strategic advantage in the region. How exactly does Russia pursue this? And what are the driving forces behind these initiatives? Russia's efforts to gain influence in the Middle East is a case-study of our world today, a complex array of allegiances, powers and policy channels. Russia has thrown the gauntlet. Will it succeed?