The Military Dimension of Russia’s Return to the Middle East

Yıl 2022, , 83 - 107, 29.06.2022

Melih Yıldız

https://doi.org/10.26513/tocd.1049301

Öz

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union succeeded in establishing an important sphere of influence in the Middle East. However, with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia began to rapidly lose its influence in the 1990s in the Middle East. The process of Russia’s transformation into an important actor again in the region took place in the 2010s. Moscow’s policy toward the civil war in Syria has increased Russian influence in Syria and enabled it to be more actively involved in the developments in the Middle East. Similar to the Soviet era, Russia’s increasing influence in the Middle East in recent years, was largely achieved by military means. This study aims to analyze the recent transformation of Russia’s military presence in the region, which is the most important indicator of its influence in the Middle East. In addition, in order to evaluate the success of its return to the Middle East, Russia’s military influence in the region was compared with the influence of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. As a result of the evaluation, it was concluded that Russia managed to reestablish a sphere of influence in the Middle East. The biggest factor behind this success of Russia is the rapid development of its military relations with Syria and Egypt in the 2010s.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Russia, Middle East, Syria, Egypt, Arms Trade, Military Influence

Rusya’nın Ortadoğu’ya Dönüşünün Askeri Boyutu

Öz

Sovyetler Birliği Soğuk Savaş döneminde Ortadoğu’da önemli bir nüfuz alanı oluşturmayı başarmış, ancak Sovyetler Birliği’nin dağılmasıyla birlikte 1990’larda Rusya hızla Ortadoğu’daki nüfuzunu kaybetmeye başlamıştır. Rusya’nın bölgede tekrar önemli bir aktöre dönüşme süreci ise 2010’larda gerçekleşmiştir. Moskova’nın Suriye’deki iç savaşa yönelik politikası Rusya’nın hem Suriye’deki nüfuzunu artırmış hem de Ortadoğu’daki gelişmelere daha aktif müdahil olmasını sağlamıştır. Rusya’nın son yıllarda Ortadoğu’da artan nüfuzu Sovyetler Birliği döneminde de olduğu gibi büyük oranda askeri araçlar ile sağlanmıştır. Bu çalışma Rusya’nın Ortadoğu’daki nüfuzunun en önemli göstergesi olan bölgedeki askeri varlığının son dönemde geçirdiği dönüşümü analiz etmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Ayrıca çalışmada, Ortadoğu’ya dönüş sürecinin başarısını değerlendirmek amacıyla Rusya’nın bölgedeki askeri nüfuzu Sovyetler Birliği’nin Soğuk Savaş döneminde sahip olduğu nüfuz ile karşılaştırılmıştır. Değerlendirme sonucunda Rusya’nın Ortadoğu’da yeniden bir nüfuz alanı oluşturmayı başardığı sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Rusya’nın bu başarısının arkasındaki en büyük etken Suriye ve Mısır ile askeri ilişkilerini 2010’larda hızla geliştirmesi olmuştur.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Rusya, Ortadoğu, Suriye, Mısır, Silah Ticareti, Askeri Nüfuz

Kaynakça

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