How Serious a Challenge?
Russian President Vladimir Putin has long hoped to restore prestige for Russia at levels once enjoyed by the Soviet Union. But a weak economy, the Beslan school massacre and Ukraine’s “October Revolution” have weakened Russia’s stance, even among former Soviet republics. As a result, Putin has sought out a new arena for projecting power: the Middle East. America’s interminable conflicts in the region and a longstanding alignment with Israel have decreased its influence among Muslim nations, and Putin has stepped in to fill the gap with trade agreements, arms sales and anti-Israeli rhetoric. While this new friendship has decreased Arab support for Chechen rebels and heightened prospects for economic ties, the extent to which Putin has purchased any real influence remains to be seen. – YaleGlobal
How Serious a Challenge?
Thursday, April 5, 2007
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Robert O. Freedman is the Peggy Meyerhoff Pearlstone Professor of Political Science at Baltimore Hebrew University and a visiting professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University. He is the author of the forthcoming “Russian Policy Toward the Middle East since the Collapse of the Soviet Union,” Cambridge University Press, 2008.
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