Politica Federaţiei Ruse în Orientul Mijlociu - între mit şi realitate
Russian policy in the Middle East - between myth and reality

Summary/Abstract: Russia has deep historical links with Middle East states since Soviet times, and the current policy. Moscow promotes in this region is nothing more than a continuation of the policies promoted by the Soviet leaders with the post-colonial Arab regimes, a policy that evolves towards a multidimensional spectrum. With Russian’s political, economic and military revitalization following USSR dissolution, the strategy adopted by Russian politicians, but especially Putin’s regime, aimed foreign policy objectives, capitalizing the Soviet heritage. It is obvious Moscow seeks to take advantage of Middle East governments’ unhappiness with American and European policy in the region. But the competition with the West is not Moscow’s only geopolitical interest in the region. It also wants to prevent the rise of radical Sunni forces which Moscow fears will, if they grow strong enough, not only engulf the region and reduce Russian infl uence, but also spread into the Muslim regions of Russia. Another Russian geopolitical interest in the Middle East extended region derives from Moscow’s strong dependence on oil and gas export revenues – not only to fund the government’s budget but also to pay off key interest groups on whom Putin’s rule depends and to support the Russian economy more generally.

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