Russia in the Middle East: A New Perspective on the Corporatization of Foreign Policy

Abstract

The Middle East has emerged as a new stage for Moscow’s increasingly active foreign policy due to its geopolitical relevance, close proximity to Russian borders, and abundance of energy resources. Although Russian interests in the Middle East are generally not considered vital and existential relative to post-Soviet geography and Europe, influence in this region is still essential for Moscow to regain its superpower status. Russia employs a combination of hard- and soft-power elements toward Middle Eastern actors. To this end, the instrumentalization of energy cooperation and arms sales is crucial for Russia to advance its goals in the region. The Kremlin also compartmentalizes its relations with almost all regional actors and establishes business-oriented networks to gain prestige, cultivate political influence, and benefit financially. After reorganizing the domestic political and economic power structure, Russian policy-makers have successfully mobilized state-owned energy and arms companies, such as Rosoboronexport, Rosatom, Rosneft, Gazprom, and Lukoil, as remarkable pillars of Russian policy toward the Middle East.

Keywords

• Russia,Middle East,energy,geopolitics,arms

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