Russia's Strategy: from the Middle East to the Global South 2100-ERASMUS-RSME
The course provides a comprehensive exploration of Russian geopolitical expansion into the Near and Middle East, delving into its historical roots and contemporary implications. Moreover it provides the grand vision based upon the effort in the Global South to reshape global balance against the Rules-based International world order.
Spanning from the Grand Duchy of Moscow to the present day, the course navigates through key historical epochs, including the Russian Empire's quest for "warm waters" and the Soviet Union's ideological and strategic engagements. From examining Soviet naval strategies to analysing contemporary Russian policies towards Iran, Turkey, and Afghanistan, the course offers insights into the complex dynamics shaping Russia's presence in the region. Additionally, it explores the impact of conflicts in the Levant and Eastern Europe on Russia's geopolitical strategy and prospects for its future role in the Middle East, while also addressing broader concepts such as multipolarity and the competition with China for influence in the Global South.
The aim of the course is to understand the nature and the evolution of the Russian imperial and neocolonial strategies in the Middle East and the Global South at large.
I. The logic of Russian geopolitical expansion to the Near and Middle East (Introduction)
Additionally - Is Russia failed state? (Janusz Bugajski’s theory);
II. From the Grand Duchy of Moscow to the Russian Empire: the struggle for the “warm waters” and the Near East;
III. The Russian Empire and the Eastern Question: End of the XVIII century till 1917;
IV. The Soviet Union: The World Revolution and the Middle East (1917-1941);
V. The evolution of the Soviet strategy towards the Middle East - from ideology to geopolitical projects;
VI. The Soviet Union and the Third Word: Ideological (World Revolutionary Process) and Geopolitical Determinants;
VI. Russia’s Policy towards Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan and the expansionist doctrines;
VII. Russian/Soviet Naval Strategy in the Middle East and the Turkish Straits and Russia;
VIII. The Syrian Campaign: strategic and geopolitical consequences for Russia and the Middle East;
IX. The Wagner Group and the Greater Middle East;
X. Russia and the Arab World/Israel
XI. The Fundamental Principles of Russia’s Foreign Policy and Strategy in the Global South in XXI century;
XII. China and Russia's competition for the Third World/Global South/BRICS/OSC etc;
XIII. The concepts of the Multipolar World/Center of Powers/Third Rome;
XIV. The geostrategic importance of Crimea, the Sea of Azov, and the Black Sea in the Russian expansion towards the Middle East.
XV. The Levant and Eastern European wars and their impact on Russia’s presence in the region. Future of Russia in the Middle East and the Global South.
Koordynatorzy przedmiotu
Kryteria oceniania
Essays
Literatura
Janusz Bugajski, Failed State: A Guide to Russia’s Rupture (Jamestown Foundation, 2022)
Evgeniĭ Primakov, "Russia and the Arabs: Behind the Scenes in the Middle East from the Cold War to the Present," Basic Books, 2009
Michael Kofman, Mathew Rojansky, "What Kind of Victory for Russia in Syria?" January 2018 MILITARY REVIEW ONLINE EXCLUSIVE
Alexey Malashenko ,“Russia and Arab Spring” October 2013 Carnegie Moscow Center.
Alexey Vasiliev “Russia’s Middle East Policy From Lenin to Putin,” Routledge 2018
Kreutz, Andrej,”Russia in the Middle East : friend or foe?” Praeger, 2007
Sicker, Martin. “The Islamic world in decline : from the Treaty of Karlowitz to the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire,” Praeger 2001
Mark N. Katz, "Russia and the Middle East: Towards a New Foreign Policy and Diplomacy", Routledge, 2018
Robert O. Freedman, "Russia and the Middle East: Foreign Policy and Diplomacy Since the Cold War," Bloomsbury Academic, 2017;
Igor S. Ivanov, "The New Russian Diplomacy," Brookings Institution Press, 2002
Moshe Gammer, "Russia and the Middle East: From Alexander II to Putin," Routledge, 2018;
Yevgeny Primakov, "Russia and the Arabs: Behind the Scenes in the Middle East from the Cold War to the Present", Basic Books, 2009;
Andrei P. Tsygankov, "Russia in the Middle East: Friend or Foe?" Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2020;
Khaled Yacoub Oweis, "Putin's War in Syria: Russian Foreign Policy and the Price of America's Absence", I.B. Tauris, 2018;
Robert Singh, "Russia's Foreign Policy in the Middle East: From Lenin to Putin", Bloomsbury Academic, 2018;
Charles R. Lister, "The Syrian Jihad: Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State and the Evolution of an Insurgency" , Oxford University Press, 2016;
Steven Lee Myers, "The New Tsar: The Rise and Reign of Vladimir Putin", Vintage, 2015
Ridvan Bari Urcosta, The Strategic Dimension of the Sea of Azov // Center for International Maritime Security http://cimsec.org/the-strategic-dimensions-of-the-sea-of-azov/38976
"Russian-Turkish Relations Undermined by Status of Crimea," Jamestown Foundation,
//https://jamestown.org/program/russian-turkish-relations-undermined-status-crimea/
Leader of the far north: Putin forging a new Russian coalition in Eurasia // United States Army War College https://warroom.armywarcollege.edu/articles/leader-far-north-putin-iran-turkey/
Syria: Russia's Military Proving Ground, The U.S. Naval Institute,
// https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2018-03/syria-russias-military-proving-ground
Is Russia creating the “Eurasian triumvirate” with Iran and Turkey?// Per Concordiam, The German Marshall Center // https://globalnetplatform.org/system/files/per_concordiam_v8n3_eng.pdf
"What price is Russia ready to pay for Turkey? // The Jerusalem Post, http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/What-price-is-Russia-ready-to-pay-for-Turkey-477066
Więcej informacji
Dodatkowe informacje (np. o kalendarzu rejestracji, prowadzących zajęcia, lokalizacji i terminach zajęć) mogą być dostępne w serwisie USOSweb: