This book sheds light on Russia's motives in the Middle East, examining its growing role in the region and its efforts to defend its national interests. As one of the first volumes to address both domestic and external drivers, it provides a valuable multi-dimensional account of Moscow's foreign policy. 'Russian Foreign Policy Towards the Middle East' also traces the historical evolution of Russia's presence in the region, comparing Moscow's current vision of its diplomatic priorities with the strategic goals of the Soviet Union. Diverse case studies reveal areas of both divergence and convergence between Russia and various Middle Eastern players on a range of issues, including the Syrian Civil War, Iran's regional activities and the Yemeni conflict. In an era of renewed global tensions, this volume provides an important corrective to the notion that Russia's Cold War-era confrontation with 'the West' determines its contemporary approach to the Middle East. No less important are economic interests and domestic security considerations, which push Moscow towards greater interaction with the region. Only by examining both new trends and old traditions can we understand Russia's significance as a global player today.

This book offers insight into the motives behind Moscow's behaviour in the Persian Gulf (with a specific focus on the GCC member states and Iran), considering Russia's growing role in the Middle East and its desire to protect national interests using a wide range of means. The book explores the drivers and motivations of the Russian foreign policy in the Gulf region, thus, helping the audience to generate informed prognosis about Moscow's moves in this area over the next years. In contrast to most studies of Russia's presence in the region, this book considers the Russian involvement in the Gulf from two standpoints - the Russian and foreign. The idea of the book is to take several key problems of Moscow's presence in the Gulf, each of these to be covered by two authors-Russian and non-Russian scholars, in order to offer the readers alternative visions of Moscow's policies towards Iran and the GCC countries

This book offers insight into the motives behind Moscow's behaviour in the Persian Gulf (with a specific focus on the GCC member states and Iran), considering Russia's growing role in the Middle East and its desire to protect national interests using a wide range of means. The book explores the drivers and motivations of the Russian foreign policy in the Gulf region, thus, helping the audience to generate informed prognosis about Moscow's moves in this area over the next years. In contrast to most studies of Russia's presence in the region, this book considers the Russian involvement in the Gulf from two standpoints - the Russian and foreign. The idea of the book is to take several key problems of Moscow's presence in the Gulf, each of these to be covered by two authors-Russian and non-Russian scholars, in order to offer the readers alternative visions of Moscow's policies towards Iran and the GCC countries

The book considers the impact of COVID-19 on the GCC member states through the prism of challenges faced by their hydrocarbon sector. Yet, the publication’s discourse is not solely focused on the problems experienced by the oil and gas industries of the GCC member states after the beginning of the COVID pandemic. Instead, the contributors will analyze how these challenges and subsequent response to them affected other aspects of the GCC socio-economic and political development, from direct impact of the COVID on the energy sector of the GCC to socio-economic consequences of the oil market crisis for the region and its potential fallouts for the international relations of the Gulf.