Russian Foreign Policy Strategies in the Middle East Region

Basically, after the Cold War, the two major trends of diffusion of power and transition of power dominated international politics. From 1991 onwards, with the rise of international actors and their role in international developments, power shifted from the state to non-state actors, and with ascendance of economic, military, and political countries such as Brazil, China, India, Russia, and South Africa, the possibility of transition in the international hegemonic order was created. One of the most important consequences of these two trends is the regionalization of order and the increase of regional interactions in global politics. With the regionalization of order, the international system is known with the emergence of regional hegemons, the escalation of regional conflicts, regional arms races, and tensions, especially in fragile regions. This study seeks to examine Russia's strategy as an emerging revitalized power in the Middle East. Therefore the main question of the research is about the strategic principles and foundations of Russia's foreign policy in the Middle East? In response to this question and considering the principle of explaining strategies based on interests in the framework of power and assumption derived strategies from preferences and achieving foreign policy goals with specific tools, this hypothesis expressed that Russia regard experience of power changes in the international system, try have to retrieval position and role in the international system, accordingly, due to the hegemonic of international construction, intervention in neighboring regions, especially in the former Soviet-dominated regions, in the hierarchy of goals of definition and role-playing and intervention in regions due to regionalization of the international system order is a foreign policy priority, and since the Middle East is one of the important regions in the international system, becomes an important area in Russian foreign policy, and Russia's strategies in this area are based on the circumstances and source of threat, and include a set of strategies; Local multilateralism strategies in the face of regional systemic crises, competitive strategies in the face of emerging rivals in the region, tension and reaction severe strategies in the face of threats hegemon and its allies, and coalition strategies with regional actors.

The research tries to explain Russia's foreign policy strategies in the Middle East with a realistic approach and focuses on the power cycle theory and case study method.

Basically, in international politics, power determines the strategies of the actors in the international system. This principle implies the degrees of power, determine, interests, strategies, and behaviors of the actors in the international system. Thus the causal link between the distribution of power and the nature of the international system is purely systemic. Therefore, the strategies of the actors are adjusted according to their power and position in the hierarchy of power in the international system. With the rise and fall of actors in the international system, the gap between role and power emerges to reason the time-consuming process of setting roles and missions. The gap between role and power is created when an actor imagines that action is not proportionate with relative power in the international system. Usually, during power changes, a large gap formed between power and the role of the actors.According to these discussions, Russia's foreign policy strategies after the collapse of the Soviet Union can be classified into separate periods. These periods differed from each other as far as the priority to geographical areas, the goals and the choice of tactics, the scope of the resources that were available to the Russians and its ability to achieve internal stability. By restoring power in the international system and having sufficient resources, neo-imperialist tendencies increase and Russia tries to design new strategies following its power and role in the international system. In general, Russia's strategies in the Middle East are derived from its foreign policy principles and are designed according to national interests, its peripheral threats and environmental conditions, and variables from local multilateralism in the face of systemic crises to competitive strategies and tensions with rivals and hegemon. In other words, Russia is interested of strategic diversity in the Middle East, with attention to its peripheral interests and threats.

The argument here underscores the idea that Russia has a type of grand (strategic) behavior in world affairs, in which the Middle East region is only one – not necessarily the most important – element. The grand strategic behavior is the most visible element of Russia's foreign policy. Russia's actions in the Middle East could be viewed functionally as a type of grand behavior. Russia is constantly trying to improve its political, military, and economic interests in the region while reducing the advantages and strategic superiority of its potential rivals. Therefore, Russia's foreign policy strategies in the region based on interests, goals, and existing threats, are diverse and include a set of local multilateralism strategies, competitive strategies with emerging powers in the region, tension strategies with the hegemon, and Coalition strategies with regional actors.