Russia and America by Tsygankov Andrei P.;

Author:Tsygankov, Andrei P.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781509531165
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Published: 2019-11-06T00:00:00+00:00

Russia’s power

In attempting to increase its influence in the Middle East, Russia cannot compete with Washington in terms of military support or economic trade in the region. However, the Kremlin has effectively mobilized two other dimensions of power, capitalizing on its reputation as an honest broker committed to the region’s stability, and providing targeted military assistance for those states not under US influence.

Russia’s reputation as a state committed to stability and fighting terrorism has grown stronger over time. The Kremlin’s insistence on negotiations and its critique of the regime-change strategy has found strong support inside Russia. Even liberal observers were frightened by the West’s endorsement of what they saw as militant Islamist developments in the region. They feared not only the loss of Russia’s influence, but escalation leading to a war between Israel and Iran, possibly involving the US, and with the consequence of further instability on Russia’s periphery.27 In the colorful language of the Kommersant daily, “The West, in painting [the Syrian opposition] as freedom fighters, doesn’t understand that these guys are blood-sucking vampires and if they come to power there will be hell to pay, and for the Americans, too … Russians understand it better. They understand that this is a conflict between the civilized world and the suicide bombers who cry ‘Allahu akbar!’”28

If anything, these developments in the Middle East prompted Russian political and intellectual elites to push the Kremlin further away from the West. Conspiracy theories about the United States’ intentional support for Al Qaida have been in circulation since 9/11 and continue to proliferate.29 In particular, Western support for Islamists and regime-change in the Middle East has emboldened hard-liners within Russian Eurasianism who view the West’s interventionism as resulting from its civilizational aspirations. Eurasianists anticipate greater instability in the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Central Asia as a result of Western interventions, and advocate a close alliance with Iran, Syria, and China in order for Russia to develop a “civilizational mission” and defend itself against Western influences.30

Outside Russia, support for its position has also grown considerably. China, India, Brazil, and Middle Eastern nations have not been critical of Russia or its human rights record in the region. Building on non-Western resentment of US hegemony and interventionism, Putin has strengthened his global reputation as an advocate for sovereignty, national unity, and cultural values. While meeting with Obama during the G20 summit in St. Petersburg, Putin secured the support of most non-Western leaders present for his position on Assad and the Middle East.

Russia has also worked jointly with other non-Western partners. The BRIC summits supported negotiations in Syria such as those that began in Geneva in February 2014. In addition, with the continued destabilization of Syria and Iraq by Islamic radicals, the focus of Russia and other powers has been on countering the region-wide threats posed by ISIS. By early 2015, ISIS had emerged as the leading force with the capacity to topple Assad and secure important territorial gains in Iraq. In particular, ISIS militants had conquered western Iraq and eastern Syria, claiming to control a territory with 6.

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