Analysis Of Contemporary Russian Middle East Policy

Due to its rich resources and important strategic position,the Middle East has historically been a place of competition among major powers.During the Cold War,the Soviet Union had always placed the Middle East at the core of its national foreign strategy.However,after the end of the Cold War,Russia continued to shrink in the Middle East,and even disappeared in the Middle East.It was not until Putin came to power that the Middle East was once again placed at the forefront of Russian foreign policy.During his administration,Russia’s Middle East policy further deepened.Taking the opportunity of military intervention in the Syrian war,Russia has strongly returned to the Middle East and once again become a major player in the region.In general,Russia’s Middle East policy has undergone a progressive process from comprehensive retreat to recovery of attention and then to strong return.This paper takes the new classical realism theory as the research perspective,determines the explanatory variables through the path of ’cause and effect’,establishes the analysis model and verifies the research hypothesis proposed in this paper.Finally,this paper concludes that the transformation of Russia’s Middle East policy is the result of the interaction of system-level factors and unit-level factors.Among them,the systematic factors continue to play a role in the evolution of Russia’s Middle East policy after the Cold War.The change of the relative strength of the country determines the scope and objectives of its foreign policy,and the change of the strategic environment provides a signal for the change of Russia ’s Middle East policy.However,in order to truly transform the system stimulus into a country’s foreign policy,it is necessary to analyze how the unit level,as an intermediary variable,transmits the pressure of the system.This paper selects the image and cognition of national leaders and the strategic culture of the country as the key intermediary variables.The image of leaders is the key to the real transformation of system pressure into Russia’s Middle East policy.As a conceptual force that continues to play a role,strategic culture,on the one hand,shapes and restricts policy planning and grand strategic adjustment,and on the other hand,comprehensively affects the formulation and implementation of diplomatic decisions by combining with the values and beliefs of national leaders.The joint action of the above-mentioned system and unit factors has enhanced the position of the Middle East in Russia’s diplomatic layout.In the context of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine,the international pattern has accelerated,and countries in the Middle East have gradually highlighted their strategic autonomy.While Western countries’ strategic containment and economic sanctions,the Middle East countries release ’neutrality’ signals.Therefore,the Middle East region will continue to be a priority in Russia’s foreign policy and once again play a strategic breakthrough role.