Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Russia has returned to the Middle East as a major power player. Yet its toolkit is modest, providing an opening for the United States to correct its recent policy changes.
The reemergence of Russia as a major power broker in the Middle East is striking because for a quarter century after the Cold War, Russia had been absent from the region. But Russia’s absence, and not its return, is the anomaly.
The Kremlin is riding high in the Middle East, where Russia’s military intervention in Syria has changed the course of the country’s civil war. The Kremlin’s actions in the Middle East have deep historical roots, but potential Russian influence should not be over-exaggerated.
Decades after the Soviet Union wooed the leaders of Africa’s newly independent nations with weapons, scholarships, and anti-colonial rhetoric, Moscow is trying to stage a comeback on the continent. Can the Kremlin leverage its lean resources to wily effect on Africa?
Russia increasingly looks to Africa to project power and influence. This presents a challenge as the United States seeks to promote democracy, peace, and prosperity.
The playbook that Russia relied on to deal with European security institutions and their firm linkage of hard security to human rights no longer works—leaving Russia isolated.