... from the tenet that there are two sides to every coin. Over many decades this approach suited both parties in that convoluted Middle Eastern system that operates to a brutal but still clear-cut pattern. But the Arab Spring markedly diversified the regional ... ... policy rules, Riyadh decided to increase its U.S. lobbying USD 3.66 billion.
EPA/YOUSSEF BADAWI
Boris Dolgov, Omar Mahmood:
The Syrian Conflict: Russian and GCC
Perspectives
The U.S. allies largely share the same needs, i.e. security guarantees plus more ...
... represent the views of the institutions to which they are affiliated, or of their respective governments.
Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy
of Sciences
Boris Dolgov, Russian Academy of Sciences
The armed confrontation in Syria between the Syrian regime and the radical opposition represents, together with the actions of the “Islamic State” (IS), the main military-political crisis in the Middle East today. It has also become one of the most acute global conflicts, involving all major world powers. The leading countries of NATO and the European Union (EU), Russia, China and key regional states – Turkey, Iran, Israel, the GCC members ...
... mobilization, but the government also cannot avoid launching a major retribution. It might include more intensive attacks on the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, and a clearer and more coordinated allied strategy will certainly replace the rather haphazard attacks. Since France is ... ... effective response, Europe is likely to appeal to the United States, which has so far preferred to distance itself from the Middle East developments. Or, more precisely, minimized its involvement or limited it to anti-ISIS rhetoric.
It is now time the ...
... unlikely.
* * *
The regionwide upheavals that shook the Arab world in 2011, as well as the collapse of state structures in Iraq and Syria precipitated by the rise of the Islamic State (IS) invite us to reflect on the current situation in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, which has managed to remain relatively stable amidst the stormy waters of Middle Eastern politics. In the past, the Jordanian state and the ruling Hashemite regime weathered many crises and in many instances ...
... common enemy. The fact that both leaders are speaking about a coalition to combat the Islamic State points to different, not coinciding, approaches, since the two have their... ... 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... ... others to do the same. The information center established by Russia, Iran, Iraq and Syria is likely to serve as a blueprint for further efforts. The Russian president invited...
Military aircraft in the Middle East conflicts
December 18, 2011 was a momentous day for the U.S. Air Force: ... ... peaceful sky for long. On August 8, 2014 two U.S. Navy carrier-based jet fighters
struck Islamic State artillery units
near Erbil, marking the start of a new war.
That is not... ..., a terrorist group that sprang up in Iraq and achieved success in the civil war in Syria, success that enabled it to reformat itself, expand and get a new name –...
... officers of the Iraqi army under Saddam Hussein before the invasion of the United States and NATO in Iraq in 2003. However, the grouping very quickly became a center of attraction for jihadists of every stripe, migrating from among the countries of the Middle East, as well as of North, West and East Africa.
Currently, there are 80 thousand individuals (50 thousand in Iraq and 30 thousand in Syria) fighting under the black banner of the Islamic State
[3]
. According to Western media, around 3 thousand of them come from Europe, the United States and the former Soviet republics, including Russia (mostly from Chechnya), who have joined the ranks of the army of the just recently resurrected ...
Interview with Vitaly Naumkin
The frantic activity of the Islamic State and the growing number supporters of extremist actions are causing alarm and anxiety in the West. The unabated conflict in Syria and fragile internal situation in Iraq are creating fertile ground for a strengthening in the position of the Islamic State. What will the West, particularly the United States, do next? Will the current alliances in the Middle East undergo any changes?
Vitaly Naumkin
, Doctor of History, Professor and RIAC member, Director of the RAS Institute of Oriental Studies, shares his insights on the situation.
Will the fight against the Islamic State reshape the current alliances ...
Sohail Mahmood (Pakistan), Mehdi Dehnavi (Iran)
The recent extremist uprisings in the Middle East are one of the most alarming international news of this year. International ... ... and is gaining support among people.
Countries at stake: fragile Iraq and turbulent Syria. Is the USA again at war with terrorist?
RIAC has gathered opinions from renowned... ... Department of International Relations at Preston University, Islamabad
War against the "Islamic State"?
Sohail Mahmood
The current position of the USA toward the Islamic...
... leaders even speak of useful domestic resource mobilization as a result of Western sanctions) — the importance of the Middle East will only continue to grow. This concerns Russia’s relations with the Arab world — as the latter unites in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) — as well as with non-Arab regional players such as Iran, Turkey and Israel.
Moscow has long tried to draw the attention of its foreign partners to the need to combat terrorist groups in Syria, which have now turned into the main force leading the fight against government forces in the country. Russia has expressed ...
