Since the Hamas attack on October 7, Russia has taken a distinctly pro-Hamas line, and President Vladimir Putin even linked the fate of Russia and the fate of the Palestinian people. This position stems from an approach embraced by Putin whereby the world is transitioning from a unipolar to a multipolar order. According to this approach, Israel belongs to the West, led by the United States, and as such is part of the pole that is hostile to Russia. The discourse among Russian academics, opinion makers, and foreign policy experts...
Since October 7, Russia has sided with Hamas, refuses to condemn the murderous terror attack that the organization perpetrated in the western Negev, and has questioned Israel’s right to defend itself. Russia’s behavior should underscore to Israel the need to change its policy toward the Kremlin and to stand firmly with Western nations, under the leadership of the United States.
The invasion of Ukraine has exacerbated Russia’s demographic crisis: military recruitment and a wave of emigration have aggravated the reality of the low birthrate and life expectancy. The population is shrinking and its composition has changed. Young educated men are leaving, and Ukrainian refugees, most of whom are elderly, women, or children, have arrived. Under Vladimir Putin, Russia has invested much effort to address the demographic crisis, but with little success. Now that the country is embroiled in the war in Ukraine, it...
Economic and political isolation has pushed Russia and Iran to strengthen the cooperation between them. The closer relationship between these countries has both military and economic dimensions and is reflected in their new level of cooperation in the war in Syria, which reached new heights in recent months with Iran’s decision to support Russia in its war in Ukraine. Iran has sold Russia many hundreds of drones – reflecting cooperation of the highest order – and Russia’s use of these weapons have already caused enormous damage to...
The meeting in Sochi on August 5, 2022 between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, not long after their meeting in Tehran at the Astana Forum, reflects deepening cooperation between Moscow and Ankara. Moscow needs Ankara, partly in order to limit the negative economic ramifications of the war in Ukraine, but also to further weaken NATO from within. For its part, Ankara needs Moscow because of Russian influence in what it sees as main conflict zones– Syria, the Caucasus, and Libya, and given...
The visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Tehran – the first such visit since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in February 2022 – offered the three leaders an opportunity to demonstrate their partnership against the West and discuss the challenges they face domestically, regionally, and internationally. Iran viewed the summit as a chance to tighten its strategic relations with the Kremlin, in part in response to the idea of a regional defense alliance led by Washington. Russia...
President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit to Moscow reflects a strategic decision by the Iranian regime to strengthen ties with the East, at the expense of the trend of openness to the West led by President Hassan Rouhani. This reversal is a point of contention between the political currents in Iran. However, with the support of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the leading interests will continue to be an alternative to ties with the West, military strengthening, and political support in international institutions. Israel must take into...
Against the background of the nuclear talks in Vienna, the question arises whether China and Russia can persuade Iran to reach a new deal with the powers. This article reviews how China and Russia percieve their relations with Iran and what their interests are in the negotiations, and assesses whether the talks could achieve agreement over the future of the Iranian nuclear program.
The American withdrawal from Afghanistan presents Iran with a new and complex situation. On the one hand, the withdrawal is perceived as a positive development, because Iran no longer has United States forces on its eastern and western borders, and it is clear that Tehran hopes that the US will subsequently withdraw its forces from Iraq. On the other hand, Iran and Afghanistan share a 900 kilometer-long border, and a lack of governance in Afghanistan will have immediate implications for Iran’s economy and security. Iran is...
Growing trends in the Middle East over the past year have pushed Russia and Iran closer, even though conflicting interests prevent them from becoming strategic allies. Moscow and Tehran coordinate positions in the negotiations underway in Vienna regarding a return to the nuclear deal and cooperate in several areas to dislodge American influence, and there is greater publicity regarding military-defense relations that are expected to lead to weapons deals. Russia from time to time even conveys messages of restraint to Jerusalem, lest...
On July 11, 2020, the New York Times published the draft of a 25-year strategic agreement between Iran and China leaked by sources in Tehran, to the dismay of Beijing. According to the draft, China will receive priority in billions of dollars of infrastructure investments in Iran, and a regular supply of oil and gas at a substantial discount, while military cooperation between the two countries will increase. It is believed that Iran has been working on this agreement since Xi Jinping’s 2016 visit to Iran. The Chinese are...
The ongoing popular protests in Iraq reflect the public’s rejection of the highly corrupt political system that is unable to advance changes and reforms, as well as Iran’s profound involvement in Iraqi affairs. Iraq’s political system and Iran’s leadership are well aware that the protests are a very significant threat to Iraq’s internal stability. Nonetheless, at this stage, neither side seems willing to adopt any of the protesters’ demands that threaten both the future of the Iraqi political elite and Iraqi assets acquired by Iran,...
