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... emanating from the radical ideology. He expressed concern over the competition between various schools of Islam for influence on Russian Muslims on the scholar, clerical and grassroots level. The participants exchanged opinions on key issues of the Middle East and Syria developments, as well as on the interethnic and interfaith dialogue. The Grand Mufti was also presented RIAC’s key publications. Grand Mufti of Syria at RIAC
... success of ISIS and the opposition in their struggle against the governmental forces and the fact that they have captured new areas turned the threat of a disintegration of the Syrian state — and subsequent spreading of instability across the entire Middle Eastern region — into an alarming reality of a turbulent future. Naturally, the Russian military operation in Syria implies serious risks, primarily for Russia itself, and is far from accomplishing its original objectives; albeit certain ...
... Christians, rejects Russian commentators’ attempts to interpret the Syrian campaign in religious terms as a holy war, the Russian Orthodox Church’s religious mission, etc. Such statements not only revive the image of Western crusades in the Middle East but also echo with the offensive missionary rhetoric of George Bush Jr. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah Salvatore Babones: Russia Has Been the Voice of Reason – On Iraq, on Libya, and Now on Syria Russian domestic propaganda correlates poorly ...
.... The discussants focused on Russia-Egypt relations, including its economic, political and cultural aspects, as well as global governance and attitudes of Moscow and Cairo to these issues. A separate session was devoted to conflict settlement in the Middle East and Russian-Egyptian interaction in this area. RIAC and ECFA will prepare a joint report to sum up the event outcomes. Roundtable “Russia-Egypt Cooperation: Bilateral and Regional Dimensions”
On October 28, 2015, Moscow was the venue for a public debate on Russia-Egypt relations and Middle East developments with participation of former Egyptian Foreign Minister (1991–2001) and Secretary-General of the Arab League (2001–2011) Amr Moussa. Organized by RIAC with support of Egypt’s Embassy to Russia, the event attracted ...
... Qatar, to represent Russia at the 4th Doha International Strategic Policies Forum (DISP 2015) held annually by the Strategic Studies Center of Qatar Armed Forces. The event was focused on the balance of regional and global factors that determine the Middle Eastern scene and the role of key actors influencing the regional conflict dynamics. The attending diplomats, military officials, journalists and government representatives from the Middle East countries, the United States, the European Union, ...
Operation Inherent Resolve Russian-Style Russia’s admittedly highly unusual military operation in Syria is rightly in the global media’s crosshairs, with most analysts trying either to uncover Moscow's hidden objectives or forecast the mission’s outcomes. Deploying an air force contingent beyond national borders (especially in a distant country), launching airstrikes against the enemy to defend an ally in a domestic conflict, cruise missile attacks and heavy media support –...
... focused on the graveness of the situation, as Moscow's policy toward Ukraine has been perceived as a threat both to Ukraine and the "entire European project," which means that confidence building should be thorny and lengthy. Besides, the Middle East experts stressed that Russian actions toward Ukraine are supported by certain non-Western states fatigued by the de facto monopolarity during the past 30 years, offering Russia a room for foreign policy maneuvering. Syria was debated along ...
October 2015 1. Introduction In July 2015, the P5 + 1 countries reached a deal on the Iranian nuclear program and on the lifting of economic sanctions imposed on Iran. This important development in Middle Eastern strategy led to extensive commentary from many different stakeholders, including the governments of the United States, Israel, Iran, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Russian and GCC commentators are very familiar with both ...
... should be created. For the US, the possible coalition would be a group of countries that share the American strategy and agree to follow along the lines the US traces. However, this line is not clear. The main reproach Obama constantly hears is that his Middle East policy is inconsistent, that it is unclear whether it is pursuing a specific objective, and to what extent the White House is committed to achieving it. When comparing the coalition he would like to see with the anti-Hitler coalition, Vladimir ...
