Book
The Middle East Clinch. Conflicts in the Middle East and Russia’s Policies
Москва, 2014, 208 p.
Conflicts in the Middle East – between the nations or of internal nature, those that have surfaced only recently or have developed for dozens of years – have had an impact on Russia’s interests and have defined its response. Any military threat, concentration of foreign troops, civil war in the states located there, hostilities or terrorist acts can be a cause of Russia’s concern. Russia’s policies pursued in connection with the conflicts in the Middle East are a critical element of its general strategy in the region. These policies have sustained serious evolution throughout the years of the Russian Federation existence, have developed from the repudiation of former obligations to the reasonable attempts of returning into the region and enhancing the Russian influence there. The book describes the Moscow approach towards Iraq’s aggression against Kuwait that was halted by the intervention of the coalition forces, towards the overthrow of the Iraqi dictator as a result of external invasion, towards the wave of transformations in the Arab world and, finally, towards the protracted Arab-Israeli conflict. The Middle East controversies offer a vast scope to contemplation. While reflecting the global tendencies and simultaneously the political, socio-economic and cultural specificity of the region, they pose crucial questions about the price of change in the societies that are utterly not ready to embrace it, the costs and problems associated with the military intervention, the rivalry and cooperation among the leading world powers. The book can be recommended to experts in international relations, students and postgraduates dealing with the problems of the Middle East, as well as for a wide range of readers.
РУССКАЯ ВЕРСИЯ: Ближневосточный клинч : конфликты на Ближнем Востоке и политика России