LENİN’DEN STALİN’E (1917-1953): SOVYET ORTA DOĞU POLİTİKASININ İDEOLOJİK TEMELLERİ VE SINIRLARI

Öz

Bu makale, Sovyetler Birliği’nin 1917–1953 döneminde Orta Doğu’ya yönelik dış politikasını, ideolojik hedefler ile jeopolitik çıkarların kesişim noktasında analiz etmektedir. Çalışma, Lenin döneminde bölgenin devrimci anti-emperyalist mücadelenin doğal bir uzantısı olarak konumlandırıldığını; ancak iç savaş, ekonomik zayıflık ve bölgesel aktörlerin sosyo-politik gerçeklikleri nedeniyle bu yaklaşımın sınırlı bir etki üretebildiğini ortaya koymaktadır. Stalin döneminde ise Sovyet dış politikası, devrimci ideallerden ziyade güvenlik kaygılarının, devlet kapasitesi sorunlarının ve büyük güç rekabetinin belirleyici olduğu pragmatik bir çizgiye evrilmiştir. Yemen ve Hicaz ile kurulan geçici diplomatik açılımlar, İran’da yürütülen nüfuz mücadeleleri ve Filistin/İsrail meselesine ilişkin taktiksel tutum değişiklikleri, Moskova’nın ideolojik söylem ile stratejik zorunluluklar arasında sürekli bir denge arayışı içinde olduğunu göstermektedir. Makale, Sovyetlerin bu dönemde Orta Doğu’da kurumsallaşmış ve kalıcı bir nüfuz alanı oluşturamadığını; buna rağmen ortaya çıkan deneyimlerin, Soğuk Savaş yıllarında bölgenin süper güç rekabetinin merkezî sahnelerinden biri hâline gelmesinde belirleyici bir “stratejik miras” yarattığını ileri sürmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Sovyetler Birliği (SSCB)
• Orta Doğu
• Komintern
• Lenin
• Stalin
• Filistin
• İsrail
• İran
• Sovyet dış politikası

THE IDEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS AND LIMITS OF SOVIET MIDDLE EASTERN POLICY FROM LENIN TO STALIN (1917-1953)

Öz

This article examines the Soviet Union’s Middle East policy between 1917 and 1953 by analyzing the interplay between ideological commitments and geopolitical imperatives. It argues that during Lenin’s leadership, the region was conceptualized as a potential arena for revolutionary anti-imperialist mobilization and support for national liberation movements. However, limited state capacity, domestic consolidation requirements, and the complex socio-political structures of Middle Eastern societies constrained the practical impact of this revolutionary outlook. Under Stalin, Soviet policy shifted toward a more pragmatic orientation shaped primarily by security concerns, border stability, and the emerging great-power rivalry. Diplomatic initiatives toward Yemen and the Hijaz, the fluctuating Soviet posture in Iran, and the tactical recalibrations concerning the Palestine/Israel question demonstrate Moscow’s continual effort to balance ideological discourse with strategic necessities. The article concludes that although the Soviet Union failed to establish a durable and institutionalized sphere of influence in the Middle East during this period, the experiences and patterns formed in these decades created an enduring strategic and intellectual legacy that would shape the region’s centrality in the Cold War.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Soviet Union (USSR)
• Middle East
• Comintern
• Lenin
• Stalin
• Palestine
• Israel
• Iran
• Soviet Foreign Policy

Kaynakça

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