RUSSIAN RE-ASSERTIVE ROLE IN THE MIDDLE EAST UNDER VLADIMIR PUTIN

Abstract

This study analyses the underlying rationale of Russian re-assertive role in the Middle East. Russian re-assertion in the Middle East is a part of its global strategy to change the US-led international order and expand Moscow's influence globally. After a prolonged period of disengagement from the Middle East, following the collapse of Soviet Union, the Syrian Crisis provided Moscow with an opportunity to return to the region that has always been significant for the geostratrgy of its foreign projection. In the contemporary era under Vladimir Putin, regional supremacy is the fundamental element of Russian foreign and security policy, deeply embedded into its historical orientation of great power status. More recently, Russia has expanded the geographical scale of its foreign policy in a more assertive manner. Russia is now actively involved in Africa, Latin America and Middle Eastern regions, where a Russian presence could have been hardly imagined in the past decades. Under Putin, the victory in Syria has demonstrated Russia's tendency to take risks to achieve political ends. Russia has relied on power projection towards the Middle East, particularly Syria, through its military intervention in 2015. It has also employed diplomatic statecraft and military adventure to maintain its traditional political and economic interests in the Middle East and protect its southern borders. Moscow has vital interests in the Middle East, especially in the East Mediterranean, which it would gain from Syria as its strong ally in the Middle East. Syria always remains a key ally for Russia, particularly to strengthen its geopolitical position in the Middle East. Russia is extracting advantage of the power vacuum, which has been created by the US desire to disengage itself from the Middle East. The policy of "Pivoting" away from the region, launched by the Obama administration, and the same policy has carried out by President Trump. Resultantly, Russia is emerging as a dominant political and military force in the Middle East. Russia has presented itself as a non-ideological, pragmatic and credible partner to the countries in the region who have been seeking to diversify their foreign policy. Russia's success in the Syrian conflict has raised its profile in the region and global politics. Although Russian has successfully achieved its goals, there are still many challenges for Russia to sustain its presence in the region. These challenges are economic strength, lack of soft power, and maintaining the multiple partnerships in the region, particularly with rivals. For all these factors, Russia would face difficulties sustaining its present level of engagement and pursuing its geopolitical interests in the region