A Study Of Russia's Middle Eastern Energy Diplomacy In The 21st Century

Russia's strong return to the Middle East in recent years is a hot topic of academic concern.But most scholars focus their attention on the political and military aspects,and this article points to another aspect that is significant to Russia but less stressed in previous studies,that is,the Russia's Middle Eastern energy diplomacy that has been steadily advancing and has had a significant impact since the start of the millennium.Unlike Russia's traditional energy diplomacy,which seeks to use energy as a diplomatic tool for political interests,its Middle Eastern energy diplomacy is mainly a diplomatic means of seeking energy security interests,and of course its result has undoubtedly enhanced Russia's geopolitical influence in the region.This paper focuses on Russia's energy diplomacy to the Middle Eastern countries that aims to stabilize international energy price,increase oil and gas reserves of energy enterprises and maintain the dominant position in the European market.In addition to the introduction and the conclusion,the thesis is divided into six parts,the first chapter discusses the driving mechanism,the theoretical connotation and the traditional object of Russia's energy diplomacy.The second chapter discusses the purpose,means and stage characteristics of Russia's Middle Eastern energy diplomacy in the new century.The third chapter analyzes Russia's energy diplomacy in the Middle East under the two multilateral framework of OPEC and GECF;The fourth chapter chooses Saudi Arabia,Iran and Iraq as cases to discuss the status and level of bilateral energy cooperation between Russia and the three countries.The fifth chapter analyzes the strategic motives of Russia to promote natural gas pipeline construction and to influence the direction of gas flow in the Eurasian continent in the context of the Syrian conflict from the perspective of the politics of oil and gas pipelines.The sixth chapter summarizes the achievements,influence and restrictive factors of Russia's Middle Eastern energy diplomacy,and forecasts its prospect.Through systematic analysis,this paper claims that Russia's Middle Eastern energy diplomacy has achieved remarkable results in realizing its energy security and maintaining its status of energy power.In addition,it also promotes its arms output and tamps its relationship with the Middle Eastern countries,and strengthens its presence in the Middle East as well.As a result,it has a far-reaching impact on the future geopolitical situation in the Middle East.The present study is of great benefit to judge the future development of the world energy situation and the trend of the political pattern in the Middle East,and it undoubtedly has important theoretical and practical significance for China as its external dependence on energy and the energy security problem is increasingly prominent when the “Belt & Road” Initiative is pushed forward.