... it’s not always possible to see eye to eye with the U.S. in certain matters. We can only hope in the long-term that the EU and Russia’s shared embracement of multilateralism and the UN may provide a solid groundwork on which to foster more cooperative regional engagement in the Middle East, also by convincing the US to return to a more stable and predictable foreign policy towards the region.
On October ... ... Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed during a U.S. raid. What do you make of his death and what consequences could that have for ISIS and international terrorism as a whole?
Andrey Kortunov, Michel Duclos:
Helping Iran to Make the Right Choice
The killing ...
... know how they are still adamant that they have to do something.
Andrey Kortunov, Malcolm Chalmers:
Upholding Stability in the Middle East: An Opportunity for Russia–Europe Cooperation?
Dr. Kepel believes there is an opportunity for us to work on the reconstruction of the region in order to deter and to uproot their possible refraction, but it will not be a simple process. ISIS in its ISIS form is extinct, but the root causes are still around, as long as the political situation in the region remains ...
... visible progress in conceptualizing the political transformation of Syria in the direction of a more pluralistic, more representative and less centralized state.
To maintain its current position of a critical power broker in Syria as well as in a broader Middle East context, the Kremlin has to figure out how to cope with three recent developments that call for significant adjustments in the Russian strategy.
First, the defeat of ISIS, which is definitely a positive development for everybody engaged in Syria and in neighboring countries, has an important downside. Old regional rivalries, animosities, fears and conflicts that were put aside in order to fight the common enemy, are ...
... Away at Four Gordian Knots. CSIS and RIAC Meeting Report
CSIS and RIAC Meeting Report
In October 2018, a select group of Russian and American experts met at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington. Their meeting, convened ... ... principle allows room for compromise.
The group’s discussion of European security echoed that regarding Ukraine. The Ukraine crisis is, of course, a crucial component of European security. Moving beyond it, however, or assuming its resolution, still leaves ...
... Timur Makhmutov, RIAC Deputy Director of Programs, and Davood Kiani, IRAS President, moderated the meeting.
On February 6 Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) held a video conference with the Institute for Iran-Eurasia Studies (IRAS) on Russia’s and Iran’s positions in the Middle East in post-ISIS period.
The video conference consisted of two sessions: the presentations made by the speakers and the following discussions between the sided (Q&A). Timur Makhmutov, RIAC Deputy Director of Programs, and Davood Kiani, IRAS President, moderated the ...
... cooperating in relevant areas, primarily in defense and security sectors, whereas Egypt remains a stronghold of stability in the Middle East and a guarantor of security for the Gulf monarchies.
AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elsham
People walk past a banner with a
picture of Russian President Vladimir Putin
with Arabic that reads, "welcome," along a
bridge in Cairo, Egypt, Monday,
Feb. ... ... environment.
The U.S.-Egyptian dialogue has shifted from bilateral ties to regional problems, first of all to neutralization of the ISIS.
Americans invariably stress that Egypt remains its major ally in countering extremism, which should concentrate on Libya ...
... are many ways to explain the IS phenomenon. One approach, suggested here, is that IS/ISIS strikes right at the interface of what may be the two main trends in the evolution... ... catalyzing new splits among violent Islamists in places ranging from Afghanistan to Russia’s North Caucasus. However, in practical terms, these nuances should not... ... militants from various local fronts — both from Muslim states in the broader Middle East (who make up a majority of foreign fighters) and from areas of low-intensity...
