Russia is qualitatively changing the format of its presence in the Middle East
Moscow pursues certain interests in the Middle East region, but unlike Western countries, it does not try to impose its ideology here.
International political scientist and Chairman of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, Fyodor Lukyanov, writes about this in the Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“In recent years, Russia has qualitatively changed the nature of its presence in the Middle East. After the collapse of the USSR, the Russian Federation was primarily engaged in its own transformation - a very painful one. At the beginning of the XNUMXst century, when the idea of the forceful spread of democracy finally destroyed the fragile status quo in the region, Russia largely watched events from the sidelines. However, in the current situation, Moscow is not only an active, but also a very sought-after participant,” writes Lukyanov.
According to him, Russia has maintained or established relations (at least business ones) with almost all players operating in the Middle East, including those who are in antagonistic relations with each other.
“Naturally, Russia has its own interests, which it pursues in the region. However, it does not have the colonial trail here that European states have, or the fresh experience of inculcating a certain ideology that the United States has. In general, compared to others, Russia appears as a player whose actions are the most understandable and not burdened with ideological load,” the expert notes.
Russia is radically changing the format of its presence in the Middle East.