Russia and Its Interest in the Middle East
Introduction
In this essay I will study Russia and their interests in the Middle East. I will start this essay with a short overlook of Russia and their foreign policy. Then I will examine their policy in the Middle East. Further will I look into Russia and its reason for the invitation of Hamas after the 2006 election in Palestine. The reason for this is to get an overview of how Russia applies their policy. Then I will have a short look at the consequences of the Russian policy in the Middle East before I finish of with a conclusion.
Russia and foreign policy
Putin started to concentrate more on foreign policy around 2001. Putin tried to put an end to the Yeltsin period rather disorganized foreign policy and start his own foreign policy. . Yeltsin’s dwindling public support, combined with his lack of personal prestige within his own inner circle, had led to considerable freelancing by a variety of groups and institutions in their spheres of responsibility or interest. Among these groups you could find the foreign ministry, branches within the military, Minatom (nuclear power agency), the fuel and energy ministry, the parliament and some of the oligarchs. If we look at Russian foreign policy today there have been a lot of changes. The freelancing has been eliminated. Putin and his administration are now in charge of the foreign policy. Russia has become more predictable in it dealing the recent years. Russia has also exercised regional power in a different way from how it used to. Putin began in winter 2004 with a project of increasing Russian influence in the Middle East. Putin meant that Russia should have a greater role in this region. There were two reasons for this: Firstly, the US (the foreign dominant player in the region) was occupied both in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that made way for Russia to take initiative. Secondly the rise in oil prises had strengthened the Russian economy and given Moscow the ability to pay back the debts made by the
In this essay I will study Russia and their interests in the Middle East. I will start this essay with a short overlook of Russia and their foreign policy. Then I will examine their policy in the Middle East. Further will I look into Russia and its reason for the invitation of Hamas after the 2006 election in Palestine. The reason for this is to get an overview of how Russia applies their policy. Then I will have a short look at the consequences of the Russian policy in the Middle East before I finish of with a conclusion.
Russia and foreign policy
Putin started to concentrate more on foreign policy around 2001. Putin tried to put an end to the Yeltsin period rather disorganized foreign policy and start his own foreign policy. . Yeltsin’s dwindling public support, combined with his lack of personal prestige within his own inner circle, had led to considerable freelancing by a variety of groups and institutions in their spheres of responsibility or interest. Among these groups you could find the foreign ministry, branches within the military, Minatom (nuclear power agency), the fuel and energy ministry, the parliament and some of the oligarchs. If we look at Russian foreign policy today there have been a lot of changes. The freelancing has been eliminated. Putin and his administration are now in charge of the foreign policy. Russia has become more predictable in it dealing the recent years. Russia has also exercised regional power in a different way from how it used to. Putin began in winter 2004 with a project of increasing Russian influence in the Middle East. Putin meant that Russia should have a greater role in this region. There were two reasons for this: Firstly, the US (the foreign dominant player in the region) was occupied both in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that made way for Russia to take initiative. Secondly the rise in oil prises had strengthened the Russian economy and given Moscow the ability to pay back the debts made by the