Russia in the Middle East: Part Two

09/08/20 • 21 min

In part two, Jon Alterman explores Russian economic interests in the Middle East. He covers Middle Eastern investments in Russia, the arms industry, and the recent battle over oil production between Russia and Saudi Arabia. He also talks with Carole Nakhle, founder and CEO of Crystol Energy, Nikolay Kozhanov, a consulting fellow at Chatham House, and Olga Oliker, director of the Europe and Eurasia Program at the International Crisis Group.

Olga Oliker, "Putin's Future: Reading the tea leaves," Inkstick Media, January 21, 2020.
Nikolay Kozhanov, Russian Policy Across the Middle East: Methods and Motivations, Chatham House, February 21, 2018.
Carole Nakhle, "Russia's Energy Diplomacy in the Middle East," in Russia's return to the Middle East: building sandcastles?, European Union Institute for Security Studies, 2018.
Episode Transcript, "Russia in the Middle East: Part Two," CSIS, September 8, 2020.

Olga Oliker, "Putin's Future: Reading the tea leaves," Inkstick Media, January 21, 2020.
Nikolay Kozhanov, Russian Policy Across the Middle East: Methods and Motivations, Chatham House, February 21, 2018.
Carole Nakhle, "Russia's Energy Diplomacy in the Middle East," in Russia's return to the Middle East: building sandcastles?, European Union Institute for Security Studies, 2018.
Episode Transcript, "Russia in the Middle East: Part Two," CSIS, September 8, 2020.

Previous Episode

Russia in the Middle East: Part One

In the first episode of our new podcast miniseries, Russia in the Middle East, Jon Alterman gives an overview of Russian policy in the Middle East and how the Middle East fits into Russia’s worldview. He covers Russia's return to the Middle East and looks at how Russian foreign policy has changed since the fall of the Soviet Union. Jon also sits down with Dmitri Trenin, director of Carnegie's Moscow Center, and Celeste Wallander, president and CEO of the U.S.-Russia Foundation, for their insight into Russia’s foreign policy decisions.

Song Credits: Episode one songs were “La-danza” by Olivier-Olsen and “Spring-in-Barcelona” by Ian-Post, both via Artlist.

Celeste Wallander, "Putin's Gamble: U.S.-Russian relations in an era of global change," Krasno UNC, November 14, 2019.
Jon Alterman, "Chinese and Russian Influence in the Middle East," House Testimony, May 9, 2019.
Dmitri Trenin, What is Russia Up To In The Middle East?, Polity Press, 2018.

Next Episode

Russia in the Middle East: Part Three

In part three, Jon Alterman looks at Russian security interests in the Middle East. He starts with an overview of Russia's military presence, and then looks at how Moscow's presence has evolved in Syria, and then spread into Libya. He talks with Olga Oliker, director of the Europe and Central Asia Program at the International Crisis Group; Alexey Khlebnikov, an expert at the Russian International Affairs Council; Wa'el Alzayat, CEO of Emgage Foundation and a former State Department official; and Eugene Rumer, director and senior fellow of the Russia and Eurasia Program at Carnegie.

Song Credits: “Calisson” from Confectionery via Blue Dot Studios; “Dusting” from Confectionery via Blue Dot Studios; “Coulis Coulis” from Confectionery via Blue Dot Studios; and the theme song is "Tales of Arabia" by GreatstockMusic via Pond5.