... impotence of the United Nations Security Council incapable or reaching consensus among its permanent members on how to stop the Israeli strikes. It would also render misplaced Russia’s proposals regarding building a collective security system in the Middle East. The Russia-Israel relations would likely deteriorate even further. A major disruption of the global energy trade may trigger a global economic slowdown or even a recession that is clearly not in Russia’s strategic interests.
One cannot rule out that the ultimate ...
... regime, solidifying its power.
Finally, the strikes on nuclear facilities, along with the assassinations of Iranian scientists by Israeli operatives, may delay the progress of Iran’s nuclear program. However, considering recent developments, Tehran, which ... ... international oversight virtually impossible.
All in all, the strikes on Iran and the subsequent chain of events could usher the Middle East into a new phase of instability.
The article was submitted to the editorial office on June 23, 2025.
First published ...
... cloaked in diplomatic theater. Worse, it will go down as a day of infamy in international relations: a moment when negotiation was used not to resolve conflict, but to disguise premeditated violence.
Regime change blowback
Extra-Regional Actors in the Middle East. RIAC Report
What did Israel and the United States hope to achieve through this betrayal? Regime change? The total submission of a sovereign nation to a militarized settler state forged in 1948? Are we now expected to believe that post-regime change, Tehran will suddenly embrace ...
... “Axis of Resistance”, and the prospects for the development of Iran's nuclear program.
Speakers at the roundtable included: Andrey Kortunov, RIAC member; Viktor Smirnov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia, Head of the Department of Israel and Jewish Communities at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS); Vladimir Sazhin, Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies of the Institute of Oriental Studies, RAS; and Ivan Bocharov, Program Manager at RIAC.
... dispute involving many external state actors.
Baghdad Faces Financial Crisis as South Pursues Oil Riches
Basel Haj Jasem:
Is Israel Repeating Iran's Mistakes in Syria?
The proposed southern federal region, which extends from the capital (Baghdad) to ... ... portions of oil profits.
Conclusion
The creation of a Shiite southern region is a powerful negotiating tool in the
“Greater Middle East”
mapping movements, as well as internal, regional, and even international political processes. Iraq's current political ...
... Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation, Head of the Department of Israel and Jewish Communities of the IOS RAS.
The conference was also attended by: Svetlana Gavrilova, RIAC Director of Programs; Victor Simakov, Head of the Israel Division of the Department for the Middle East and North Africa of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Andrey Kortunov, RIAC member; Irina Zvyagelskaya, Head of Center for the Middle East Studies of the IMEMO RAS, RIAC Member; Lyudmila Samarskaya, Research Fellow at the Center for ...
... reports indicated that Israel did not view his downfall as a direct strategic gain. Despite his close ties with Iran, the Syrian regime was weak and exhausted by war, rendering it incapable of posing a real threat to Israel. However, after Assad's fall, Israel's stance shifted. In a press conference on Dec. 9, 2024, Netanyahu described the event as a "historic day in the Middle East," emphasizing that the regime's collapse dealt a significant blow to Iran's regional influence.
In reality, Israel does not appear ready to open a new front in Syria in the near future. Despite its efforts to portray itself as a protector ...
... Yemen, over 16.5 million in Syria, and more than 3 million in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In Lebanon, at least 3.7 million people, or about two-thirds of the population, needed assistance before the fighting intensified.
Ivan Bocharov:
Conflict in the Middle East: Possible Regional Implications
In recent months, the humanitarian situation in the conflict zone between the State of Israel and Hezbollah has deteriorated. Attacks on Israeli settlements by the Shiite movement have resulted in the evacuation of at least 60 000 Israelis.
Already turbulent situation in Lebanon was aggravated by the escalation in autumn. In recent weeks,...
... for the post-conflict reconstruction of the country, or at least on the approval by the UN Security Council of a road-map for promoting state-building in Syria. Some twenty years ago, great powers were able to put together the so-called Quartet on the Middle East (Russia, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations) to jointly address the challenge of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In the end of the day, the Quartet has failed to deliver a lasting solution to the problem. These days, a Syrian Quartet, Quintet, or any other similar grouping looks completely out of touch with geopolitical realities.
However,...
... aimed at maintaining the existing status-quo or will it be forced to review and to revise its positions towards Israel, Palestinians, Iran and its main partners in the Arab world? Let us have a look at the most important pieces of the rich and diverse Middle East mosaic, namely—on Israel, Palestine, Iran and the Arab Gulf states.
Israel
The Russian-Israeli relations started experiencing problems long before the US 2024 elections. In particular, the launch of the special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 had a significant ...
