... greater esoteric foreign-policy point behind Russia’s commercial dealings: if the greatest national security objective for Russia is to maintain global diplomatic significance and international influence, then maintaining relevance within the Middle East must be a crucial part of the master plan. Syria is by far the most convenient partner for Russia in this endeavor. As such, Russian commercial initiatives are more about strategic allegiance and perceived political dependence and less about ...
Joining the G8's Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative (BMENA), on March 4, RIAC received a delegation of the Foreign Ministry and noncommercial organizations from the United Arab Emirates.
During the discussion, RIAC was invited to contribute to three international ...
... unconventionality of the algorithm of the region’s democratic reformatting became more or less obvious. The Secretary General of the National Dialogue Party of Lebanon, Fouad Makhzoumi, who took part in the conference, compared it to solving a Middle Eastern “Rubik’s Cube.”
Attempts to solve the Middle Eastern “cube” have continued for decades. Sometimes it seemed that just one final move was needed to achieve the desired harmony of colors and proportions, but ...
... Arab countries, as well as head of Moscow Mission of the League of Arab States. The meeting was chaired by Saudi Arabia Ambassador to Russia Ali Hassan A. Jaafar, dean of the Arab ambassadors’ group.
The participants discussed the situation in the Middle East, prospects for Syria and Arab-Israeli settlement, principles of Russia’s foreign strategy and other issues of regional and global politics. Arab ambassadors were also presented with RIAC’s plans and current activities, and voiced their ...
... military intervention in the Syrian conflict, Russia proposed establishing international control over Syria’s chemical weapons. The international community currently pins its hopes on the Geneva II peace conference scheduled for January 22, 2014.
The Middle East and World Energy Market
Oil-rich countries in the Middle East that boast the world’s largest hydrocarbon deposits account for almost 54 percent of proved oil reserves and 40 percent of proved natural gas reserves (the author’s ...
On November 19, 2013 a meeting between the RIAC members and experts and the Federation Council senators aimed at discussing the topic of the "New agenda for the Russian-Iranian relations" was held in the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.
The meeting was opened by RIAC President Igor Ivanov, Chairman of the International Affairs Committee Mikhail Margelov and Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Ilyas Umakhanov.
During the meeting expert commentaries...
... "A Thousand Hills: Rwanda's Rebirth and the Man Who Dreamed It" (2008), "Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq" (2006), "All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror" (2003), and "Crescent and Star: Turkey Between Two Worlds" (2001).
... the Palestinian envoys to the U.S.-brokered peace negotiations with Israel have resigned amidst continuing settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Unlike previous series of peace talks, this round has been veiled in secrecy. According to the Middle East expert and author of “The Brokers of Deceit,” Rashid Khalidi, there are three reasons why the ongoing talks are unlikely to yield the expected outcome of cementing a peace deal. The first reason is U.S. domestic politics, i.e.,...
Interview with Petr Stegniy
Interview
In the run-up to the Geneva-2 conference,
Petr V. Stegniy
, Russia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and a RIAC member, shares his views on the Syrian crisis and possible ways to resolve it.
Mr. Ambassador, is there any room for compromise among world powers on the Syrian crisis and its resolution at Geneva-2?
Geneva-2 seems to suit the leading world powers, the Syrian regime and the internal opposition that participates in the Syrian government...
On October 17, a group of RIAC members and experts visited the Council of the Federation of the Federal Assembly to discuss the situation in Syria in the context of changes in the Greater Middle East.
Opened by Dr.
Igor Ivanov
and
Igor Morozov
, member of the Council’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, the meeting was addressed by
Vitaly Naumkin
, RAS Corresponding Member and Director of RAS Institute for Oriental Studies, and
Pyotr ...
