Evolution of Russian Foreign Policy and the Middle East

Abstract

Russian foreign policy demonstrates continuity and change. 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, in order to return to the glorious Soviet era. Maximising power and the pursuit of internal security are essential, because there is an international system in permanent anarchy. Putin’s third term was marked by the Ukraine crisis and the annexation of the Crimea, which contributed to a historical turning point in Russian foreign policy. Western sanctions due to the occupation of Crimea and military interference in eastern Ukraine have opened up a period of greater rivalry between Moscow and Washington, as well as the need for Russia to diversify its relations with emerging economies such as Iran and Turkey. This study finds out that Ankara and Tehran have a historical relationship with Moscow, despite some episodes and divergent positions that at certain moments have harmed relations. The issue of Syria, the fight against terrorism and violent extremism, agreements on oil and natural gas and relations with the Kurdish people are some of the key issues in the more or less friendly relations of the Kremlin with Ankara and Tehran. The state of Russian foreign policy and Russia’s relations with regional actors in the Middle East (Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the Kurds) as well as the challenges Vladimir Putin’s Russia has to face in the region are addressed.