Vliv Ruska na Bezpečnost Severni Afriky. Soft Power a vlivove nastroje
Russia's Influence on North Africa's Security. Soft Power and Influence Tools

Author(s): Martin Laryš, Clément Steuer
Subject(s): International relations/trade, Security and defense, Political behavior, History of Communism, Geopolitics, Politics and Identity
Published by: Ústav mezinárodních vztahů
Keywords: Russia's influence in North Africa;
Summary/Abstract: The paper focuses on identifying the main instruments of influence of the Russian Federation towards selected countries of North Africa – Algeria, Libya and Egypt. The failure of the Arab Spring offered Russia the opportunity to expand and strengthen its positions in North Africa. Key instruments of influence include the dissemination and reinforcement of anti-Western theses through disinformation campaigns and the creation of dependencies, especially in energy and arms supplies. At the ideological level, Russia has used the revival of the Soviet ideological legacy, invoking a common past and support, such as the assistance to Algeria during its struggle for independence from France during the period of decolonization. The Soviet Union provided Algeria with military, technical and material support at that time and became the first country to recognize the Algerian provisional government in October 1960, even before it declared independence. Russia also aligns with the nationalist political and military elites of the region, thanks to a common hostility towards the West, political Islam, social movements and democratization. All of these enemies are united by various conspiracy theories popular in Russia and among a large part of the North African public.

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