Nobody wanted to fight
When the Israeli–Palestinian conflict escalated dramatically in early October 2023, many observers jumped to a grim conclusion that, from then onward, the Middle East was hurtling at an ever-increasing speed toward another major regional conflict. The military operation of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the Gaza Strip was to be followed by fierce hostilities in the West Bank, then by a large-scale border ...
... reflecting a determination to dismantle a key pillar of the Palestinian resistance. As the geopolitical landscape becomes increasingly volatile, the assassination raises urgent questions about the path forward and the potential for lasting peace in the Middle East.
Andrey Kortunov:
When “Iron Swords” Return to Their Sheaths
This targeted killing of Haniyeh is part of a broader pattern of strategic actions aimed at weakening Hamas and undermining its influence. The assassination carries significant ...
The Inevitability of Sino–Russian Cooperation in the Middle East
Hamas’ incursion into Israel last October inflicted casualties never seen before in Israeli history, prompting an Israeli response which indiscriminately targeted militants and civilians. Aside from reopening a 76-year-old wound, causing ...
... October 7 last year, there has been an unprecedented uptick of violence in the Palestinian–Israeli conflict zone. No solution to the fundamental problems related to the Palestinian–Israeli issue has been found yet, while the risks of escalation in the Middle East amid tensions on the Lebanese–Israeli border have mounted over the past few weeks.
How viable is a settlement of the Palestinian–Israeli conflict based on the “two states for two peoples” formula? How has the role of non-state actors ...
On June 27, 2024, HSE University hosted a research workshop “Political Dynamics in the Middle East: Clashes of Interests and Escalation Risks”
On June 27, 2024, HSE University hosted a research workshop “Political Dynamics in the Middle East: Clashes of Interests and Escalation Risks”. In the framework of the meeting, participants ...
Beijing is rather reluctant to get deeply involved in intra-regional politics in the Middle East, as this could provoke new tensions with the U.S.
The current escalation in the Middle East has been described by many as a test of influence for China. For example, the media repeatedly suggested that the United States asked China to put ...
Report No. 91 / 2024
Report No. 91 / 2024
Owing to contradictions between regional actors, socioeconomic problems, and political instability in some countries, the situation in the Middle East remains tense. Given such circumstances, political and economic trends in the Middle East require a degree of theoretical conceptualization. The authors of this report analyze the current political and economic trends in the region’s Arab ...
The substantive basis of the conference was the RIAC report “Regional Trends in the Middle East: Political and Economic Dynamics”, authored by Russian experts on Middle Eastern issues
On February 12, 2024, the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) hosted a conference “Regional dynamics in the Middle East in the context of ...
... known that Islam does not approve of card games. It is believed card games lead to gambling and create terrible addictions that distract people from spiritual growth and improvement. However, the complex, confusing, and often dramatic events in the Middle East inevitably evoke associations with it being a card game, where the stakes are high and the deck is intricately shuffled.
Andrey Kortunov:
Russia in the MENA Region amid the Ukrainian Crisis
Following this somewhat arbitrary analogy, the role ...
... crisis suggests that the fabric of the order that emerged after the Cold War on the ruins of the bipolar system is tearing at the seams more and more frequently. It is becoming more and more difficult to mend such developments.
The developments in the Middle East have pushed the fighting in Ukraine to the background of the media agenda. Meanwhile, the situation there hardly speaks in favour of the strength of the post-bipolar status quo. A sign of such strength could be Russia’s return to the status ...
