Foreign Affairs: Russia outgames the West in Middle East

Dmitry Adamsky listed the Russian diplomacy success in the Middle East in his article published by Foreign Affairs.

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Russia acts more mo and more decisively in the Middle East and the Mediterranean, having pressed the West. First, Russia created a buffer area, which constrains Islamites, it has exported weapons quite actively, as well as cooperates in the nuclear field, Adamsky noted. The Russian influence grows in the Mediterranean and among the local Christian communities, Moscow became one of the main players in the region.

It managed to maintain good relations with Syria and Iran, as well as with Libya, despite a range of "Arab springs". Though, Russia maintains close relationship with Egypt, which has had two coups d'etat for the last years. It also holds a dialogue with Jordan, the Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf States. Thus, the Saudi Prince visited Moscow in June, the Jordanian King, the Egyptian President, and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi paid the visits in August. In autumn, the Emir of Kuwait and the King of Saudi Arabia intent to come. And that is while Riyadh has traditionally been an active ally of Washington, as well as a sponsor of the Syrian opposition. Nonetheless, Russia and the Saudi Arabia established dialogue on the settlement of the conflict in Syria, weapons supply, and Russian building over a dozen of nuclear power plants in the Saudi Arabia.

The Russian Orthodox Church has also made great efforts in its help to Moscow. Thus, the prevention of the US invasion in Syria in 2013 was also related to the stance of Vatican, that supported the peacekeeping appeal of Russia. According to the author, Moscow will continue to strengthen its positions in the region, fighting the "Islamic State".

Russia may also lead a new coalition, which will comprise Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah, and it'll be it, that will probably manage to fight the extremists. Beside that, Russia aims to enforce its presence in the Mediterranean. That is stated in the Russian new military doctrine.

As Pravda.Ru reported, the Stratfor military analyst Sim Tack claimed that Russia had always intended to use diplomatic methods for the settlement of the conflict in Syria, and is the main peacekeeper in the region.

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