... focused on the graveness of the situation, as Moscow's policy toward Ukraine has been perceived as a threat both to Ukraine and the "entire European project," which means that confidence building should be thorny and lengthy. Besides, the Middle East experts stressed that Russian actions toward Ukraine are supported by certain non-Western states fatigued by the de facto monopolarity during the past 30 years, offering Russia a room for foreign policy maneuvering.
Syria was debated
along ...
October 2015
1. Introduction
In July 2015, the P5 + 1 countries reached a deal on the Iranian nuclear program and on the lifting of economic sanctions imposed on Iran. This important development in Middle Eastern strategy led to extensive commentary from many different stakeholders, including the governments of the United States, Israel, Iran, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
Russian and GCC commentators are very familiar with both ...
... should be created.
For the US, the possible coalition would be a group of countries that share the American strategy and agree to follow along the lines the US traces. However, this line is not clear. The main reproach Obama constantly hears is that his Middle East policy is inconsistent, that it is unclear whether it is pursuing a specific objective, and to what extent the White House is committed to achieving it.
When comparing the coalition he would like to see with the anti-Hitler coalition, Vladimir ...
... unlike the times of the Suez Crisis, when the diplomatic vacuum resulting from the tripartite intervention was filled by the United States; the Obama administration, which partially built its foreign policy on the cessation of its involvement in the Middle Eastern conflict, has no plans to engage serious military assets to resolve the Syrian issue. However, international relations hate vacuum — besides, it is hard to imagine how Russia will be playing the role of a policeman in the region, ...
On September 3, 2015, RIAC, MGIMO-University and Saudi Institute of Diplomatic Studies held the first Russian-Saudi roundtable on bilateral relations, Middle East situation and the Gulf security.
The event was opened by RIAC Director General Andrey Kortunov, MGIMO Pro-Rector on Research and RIAC member Eugeny Kozhokin, Russian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Oleg Ozerov, Saudi Ambassador to Russia Abdulrahman ...
Islamic finance, an area of banking in the Middle East and Southeast Asia that offers Sharia-compliant products, is going through a major growth period right now. Islamic banking offers services and products that must comply with a set of rules where no interest is permissible and where all deals ...
On August 5, 2015, Russian International Affairs Council hosted the presentation of book “Political Portraits of Statesmen of Middle East” held jointly with Russia-Islamic World Strategic Vision Group.
The MGIMO-University publishing branch has prepared a
collection of biographical sketches
of most remarkable political figures of the Middle East known in the second half ...
...
Washington keeps blasting Cairo for violation of human rights and democratic liberties, at the same time enthusiastically cooperating in relevant areas, primarily in defense and security sectors, whereas Egypt remains a stronghold of stability in the Middle East and a guarantor of security for the Gulf monarchies.
In March 2015, the Obama administration restarted full-size military aid, while John Kerry’s visit to Cairo coincided with the transfer of eight F-16s, and in June the U.S. House ...
By Alexey Ilin & Claire Berger
The nuclear accord between the P5+1 and Iran will have significant implications beyond the Middle East, particularly when it comes to Russo-Iranian relations. As Paul N. Schwartz, a non-resident senior associate with the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, has argued, “Russia is likely to ...
... outlook, provide IS with its main link to “global jihad” (even as they may comprise no more than a quarter of all foreign fighters) plays a crucial role. As for militants from various local fronts — both from Muslim states in the broader Middle East (who make up a majority of foreign fighters) and from areas of low-intensity, Islamist-separatist conflicts on the periphery of Muslim-minority states in Asia and Eurasia (including Russia’s North Caucasus) — they appear to be ...
