In recent months there has been a significant, even unprecedented rise in contacts between Russia and the new government in Egypt. The main topic discussed in these talks is increasing bilateral military cooperation. According to many reports, a large arms deal, to the tune of $2-3 billion, was discussed, and possibly even reached. If the talks between Egypt and Russia lead to a significant arms deal, this would represent an important change in Egyptian policy. A decision by the current Egyptian government several months after it...
Thereis currently much international activity in three particular cities: Sochi,where the winter Olympic Games are soon to begin; Kiev, the Ukrainian capital,plagued by anti-government protests; and Geneva (Montreux), the site of theinternational conference underway on the crisis in Syria. Ostensibly the threecities have little in common – the timing of the events is completelycoincidental – but in fact they share certain elements that are important toRussia’s interests. A closer look reveals how the three are linked at the levelof...
Focus in the analytical essays compiled here is on Israel’s strategic environment, particularly the challenges and opportunities that await Israel in 2014. In 2013 the Middle East continued to grapplewith several risk-laden issues and processes that began in previous years, includingthe socio-political unrest in many Arab states and the increased power ofradical Islamic elements in lawless areas near Israel’s borders; the ongoingcivil war in Syria; the unresolved Iranian nuclear issue; and the wide gaps betweenIsrael and the...
The evolving Middle East poses a complex set of challenges for all the local and international actors in the region. Russia, whose involvement in the area is both growing an gathering momentum, finds itself having to adjust political solutions to the emerging challenges in order to take advantage of the opportunities to shape a regional order that advances its foreign policy goals. The effects of Russian involvement in the Middle Eastern dynamic were quite prominent in 2013, mostly in the context of the Syrian civil war, and in...
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visitedRussia recently and met with President Vladimir Putin. As expected, Iran wasthe major item discussed, but it is still too early to draw any conclusionsabout possible practical results on the Iranian issue. Beyond Iran, however,this was an important encounter for both Russia and Israel, with potentialsignificant ramifications for the international system. The visit took placeagainst the backdrop of events in Syria and Iran that have given rise toimportant new developments in the Middle East,...
The Syrian conflict haslong since descended into a protracted and bloody civil war, with the regimeand the diverse groups that comprise the opposition locked in a painfulstalemate, unable to tip the military balance of power in anyone’s favor. TheGeneva 2 negotiations, reportedly scheduled to take place in late November2013, should be seen in light of this reality, underscoring the importance ofending the conflict through a political deal. Indeed, the notion of renewingthe efforts launched in Geneva in June 2012 has gained...
Between PresidentObama’s August 31, 2013 declaration on a retaliatory action against Syria andthe abandonment of the attack option in exchange for dismantlement of Syria’schemical weapons program, a dramatic change has taken place in the balance ofpower among the parties battling for the future of Syria. In an ironic if notabsurd development, the diplomatic agreement has granted President Assadlegitimacy, and made him a partner of sorts to the international community inimplementing the resolution on Syria’s chemical...
The tenth annualconference of the Valdai Discussion Club, which took place on September 16-19, 2013, was attended by experts and media professionals whofocus on Russia, as well as senior Russian establishment figures andpolicymakers. The international gathering traditionally serves as a nationalforum of sorts for discussing a range of topics that lead Russia’s nationalagenda. Since its inception, the project has been under the direct sponsorshipof President Putin, who views it as an important channel for Russia’sleadership to...
Tension between Russia and the United States has risen recently, following the cancellation of President Obama’s scheduled meeting with President Putin at the G20 summit in Russia in early September 2013. The immediate background to the tension is the Snowden affair, following Russia’s decision to grant political asylum to Edward Snowden. In fact, however, the two countries are challenging one another in a host of crisis situations on the bilateral, global, and regional levels. If this tension is not resolved, it can be...
This collection of articles, a joint publication of the INSS and the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, is an outgrowth of a conference sponsored by the two institutes. Various positions on the most urgent international and regional issues of the day are presented here, including assessments of the situation in the Middle East and Russia-Israel political and economic bilateral relations.
Since he became US Secretary of State in February 2013, John Kerry has met with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu four times. Only one other foreign dignitary has spent more time with Kerry – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Simple arithmetic does not reveal much about foreign policy priorities, but this fact does symbolize the importance that the Obama administration attaches to a new, improved version of the “reset” in Russian-American relations. That, in turn, has important implications for the outcome of the ongoing...
