... United States and the European Union (but also China and even Gulf states), can bring to the region. Therefore, in most cases the Kremlin seeks a seat at the table, but it has no ambitions to chair the meeting unilaterally. This is the case with the Middle East Peace Process, where Russia remains one of the consistent champions of the Quartet format; this is also the case in Libya and in Afghanistan too. Participation rather than control gives Russia a say in many regional matters without imposing on Moscow the full responsibility for everything that happens in this or that corner of the region.
Syria stands out as a remarkable ...
... Institute for African Studies of the RAS.
The goal of the conference was to discuss and develop mechanisms to prevent and overcome instability. Experts discussed the main factors of the processes of destabilization and stabilization in the countries of the Middle East, North Africa and the Sahel. In addition, the participants raised issues related to the revolutionary processes in the countries of the discussed regions. Particular attention was paid to the prospects for holding elections in Libya.
On the part of the RIAC, the conference was attended by: Denis Degterev, Professor of the Faculty of International Relations of MGIMO University; Grigory Lukyanov, Senior Lecturer of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Higher School of Economics; ...
... Wagner to the Russian government. Still, it is not a state endeavor and should not be considered as such. At the end, it is definitely private and not very impressive.
During the initial period of official engagement in Syria and the unofficial one in Libya, Russia faced several challenges that it learned to cope with, except for that of Turkey. Ankara became active in the Middle East some time ago, recently arriving in Eastern Mediterranean. This was probably something new for the “front-line” Mediterranean countries of Europe, but not for Russia. Russia had to deal with Turkey through all its recorded history. Nothing ...
Ivan Bocharov’s Interview for Ahval
Last month, Libya’s warring factions agreed on a joint administration to lead the country until elections scheduled for December. Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, a Libyan businessman from the western city of Misrata, was named as interim Prime Minister, while Mohammad Younes ...
...
On July 28, 2020, Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) together with the Center for Political Research, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, with the support of the Embassy of Israel in Russia held a closed online seminar “Assessing the Middle East conflicts (Lebanon, Iraq and Libya). View from Russia and Israel”. The event was attended by leading experts and diplomats from Russia and Israel.
The seminar was divided into two sessions: "Political instability in Lebanon and Iraq: View from Russia and Israel" and "Libya: ...
... will their ability for reasonable compromise. This “test” will be particularly relevant for those states in the greater Middle East that are involved in various conflicts and for their leaders, whose ambitions are, at this historical juncture, under ... ... even more relevant there than in other parts of the crumbling, yet interconnected world.
“Old” internal conflicts in Syria, Libya and Yemen, new-type protest movements demanding a change of the ruling elites (the “everyone means everyone” slogan) ...
... and keep Syria united. The draft constitution proposed will be approved based on the partial decentralisation of power, which could lead to the return of many refugees from European and Arab countries.
North Africa
Military Power of the States of the Middle East and North Africa
North Africa will have significant turbulence, and many North African states will be on the verge of violence starting from Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Algeria, Western Sahara due to the flow of terrorist fighters from other African states. The only two countries that would be safe from terrorism and violence in north Africa are Morocco and Tunisia. In contrast, others will face waves of terrorist ...
... leadership in the Libyan issue. At the same time, the Russian approach assumes rather a tactical nature of interaction with various players on the Libyan settlement.
Russia's cautious engagement and maintained contacts
Andrey Kortunov:
The Future of the Middle East: Horizons of Challenges and Opportunities
Today, the situation in Libya is at an impasse. The Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Fayez al-Sarraj is recognized by the international community in accordance with the UN-brokered Skhirat Agreement. However, the Parliament, located in Tobruk in the east of ...
... leaders, it is necessary to come to terms either way – I’m hoping this can be done with Russia’s mediation. I don’t believe in US mediation because the memories are too fresh. Even those who hated Muammar Gaddafi have to admit that under his rule Libya was the most prosperous country in the Middle East and North Africa. Given what was done to the Libyan leader, they are not ready to rush into the arms of the US regardless of their attitude to the former Libyan regime.
Third, it is necessary to avoid a conflict with Iran as far as this is ...
... reliability are rare commodities in the region and the demand for them is high.
Andrey Kortunov:
The European Decalogue and the Middle Eastern Duodecim
Third, there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution for the region. In some situations (such as Yemen),... ... come to a political compromise. In situations where conflicting sides are not yet ready for a political compromise (such as Libya, possibly), the priority for external players might be to work together to contain the conflict, preventing its spillover ...
