... also to the regional countries themselves, and to their ability to ensure their own security. In this sense, the approaches of Russia and Iran may indeed differ.
Regional Security Problems in the Middle East as Viewed by Moscow and Tehran
Yulia Sveshnikova,... ... explain Iran’s policy by its desire to consolidate a fairly large territory in the Middle East predominantly populated by Shiites. The very term Shiite Crescent, coined by King Abdullah II of Jordan, has been
used widely
by the Arab media (such as ...
... involvement in the military conflict seems to be bringing Moscow both fresh opportunities and new risks, both internal and external, that range from the palpable to the obscure.
Risks
The most obvious risks are image-related. While the denigration of Russia in Western media has become routine in recent years, the perception of Russia in the Arab and Islamic information field has always been more nuanced. While some TV channels (Al-Arabia, Al-Jazeera and the Gulf media) have vilified the Kremlin for ...
... gaining ground in this snowballing crisis.
The regional narrative suggests that Yemen presents a battlefield for the Iran-led Shiites and Saudi Arabia, the self-proclaimed Sunni leader. The two countries are generally seen by pundits as regional rivals ... ... Houthi Ansar Allah and the General People's Congress of ex-president Saleh visited Moscow.
According to some data
, they offered Russia lucrative contracts in trade and development of oil provinces that "will soon come under their control."
Moscow ...
... local Shiite militias
[23]
. Tehran is keenly aware that the extremists in Central Iraq will never accept the dominance of the Shiites, who risk sharing the terrible fate of the Kurdish Yazidi if IS prevails. The Iranians are also helping Baghdad by supplying ... ... restoring its ties with the Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, the Israelis launched a massive anti-Iranian information campaign.
Russia-Iran Strategic Partnership:
Trust Building and Common Response to
Regional and Global Challenges
Apart from traditional ...