Russian Policy in the Mediterranean: Historical Continuity and International Context

封面

如何引用文章

详细

The article considers the main directions of the Russian Federation’s foreign policy in the Mediterranean region in the period from 2015 to autumn 2021. The authors present a historical analysis of Russia’s military presence in the Mediterranean Sea since its first deployment in the 18th century and separately during the Cold War, since the key strategic goals and operational-tactical tasks facing the 5th Soviet Navy operational squadron in those years, as a whole, remained unchanged. Only their scale was adjusted. Three key aspects that determine the need for Russia’s presence in the Mediterranean are researched. These are the military, political and economic (raw) components that form the determinant of Russian foreign policy in the region. The expansion of the military activity of NATO countries - in particular, the United States, Great Britain and France - in the Mediterranean Sea and the Middle East, especially since the beginning of the civil war in the Syrian Arab Republic in 2011, requires an asymmetric response from Russia in the context of protecting its national interests. As far as geopolitics is concerned, Russia’s return of at least partial of those Soviet influence in the region also contributes to strengthening our country’s international positions. Finally, Russia’s presence in a part of the world, which is a natural logistics hub in the context of both world trade and energy supplies, conceptually complements the military-political agenda. The authors use the methods of historical and political analysis and practical systematization in order to formulate the main hypothesis of the study and come to scientific and theoretical conclusions. The main hypothesis is that the expansion of Russia’s military, political and economic presence in the Mediterranean will be intensified as the country’s economic potential grows. The authors suggest the following order as tools for implementing the strategy: speeding up efforts to ensure the permanent military presence of the Russian Navy in the Mediterranean, deepening bilateral ties with Syria and conducting a pragmatic economic policy towards Turkey, which claims to be an important actor in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East as a whole.

作者简介

Konstantin Kurylev

Рeoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University)

编辑信件的主要联系方式.
Email: kurylev-kp@rudn.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-3075-915X

PhD, Dr. of Sc. (History), Professor, Department of Theory and History of International Relations

Moscow, Russian Federation

Nickolay Parkhitko

Рeoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University)

Email: parkhitko-np@rudn.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-7678-5735

PhD in History, Associate Professor, Department of Theory and History of Journalism

Moscow, Russian Federation

参考

  1. Aghazada, M. M. (2021). Greater Mediterranean regional security complex: Myth or reality? Vestnik RUDN. International Relations, 21(3), 429-440. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.22363/2313-0660-2021-21-3-429-440
  2. Balfour, R. (2009). The transformation of the Union for the Mediterranean. Mediterranean Politics, 14(1), 99-105. https://doi.org/10.1080/13629390902747491
  3. Chikharev, I. A. (2021). Russia in Greater Mediterranean: New Pacific Eurasian transition. Vestnik RUDN. International Relations, 21(3), 441-458. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.22363/2313-0660-2021-21-3-441-458
  4. Danilin, I. V. (2012). The new energy sector: A time of structural restructuring. In V. G. Baranovsky (Ed.), The year of the planet: Yearbook. Issue of 2012: Economy, politics, security (pp. 55-66). Moscow: Ideja-Press publ. (In Russian).
  5. Del Sarto, R. A. (2006). Contested state identities and regional security in the Euro-Mediterranean area. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781403982858
  6. Druzhinin, A. G., & Lachininskii, S. S. (2019). Russia at the World Ocean: Geoeconomic and geopolitical interests, scale and formats of “presence”. Izvestiya Russkogo Geograficheskogo Obshestva, 151(6), 1-19. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.31857/S0869-607115161-19
  7. Gadzhiev, K. S. (2007). Russia’s geopolitical horizons: Contours of the New World order. Moscow: Ekonomika publ. (In Russian).
  8. Gorshkov, S. G. (1979). Sea Power of the state. Moscow: Voenizdat publ. (In Russian).
  9. Gromyko, A. A. (2014). About a New World order or a big mess. Asia and Africa Today, (12), 2-7. (In Russian).
  10. Irkhin, A. A. (2016). Problems of realization of Russia’s geopolitical interests in the Black Sea-Mediterranean region. In Socio-political and historical-cultural aspects of the modern geopolitical situation. Materials of the international scientific and practical conference within the framework of the IX Scientific and educational forum (pp. 21-28). Moscow: Pero publ. (In Russian).
  11. Irkhin, A. A., Nelina, L. P., & Chikharev, I. A. (2018). Russia and the Mediterranean macro-region (1920-2014). Paradigms of History and Social Development, (12), 58-68. (In Russian).
  12. Ivanov, I. S. (Ed.). (2013). Russia and the Greater Middle East. Moscow: RSMD publ. (In Russian). Retrieved from https://russiancouncil.ru/activity/publications/rossiya-i-bolshoy-blizhniy-vostok/
  13. Kausch, K., & Youngs, R. (2009). The end of the ‘Euro-Mediterranean vision’. International Affairs, 85(5), 963-975. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2346.2009.00841.x
  14. Kokoshin, A. A. (2006). International energy security. Moscow: Evropa publ. (In Russian).
  15. Kondakov, S. A. (2012). Energy geopolitics of Russia. Moscow: Vash poligraficheskij partner publ. (In Russian).
  16. Kurylev, K. P. (2013). Challenges and threats to interests of Russia and Ukraine in Black Sea region. Historical, Philosophical, Political and Law Sciences, Culturology and Study of Art. Issues of Theory and Practice, (12-1), 109-112. (In Russian)
  17. Kurylev, K. P., Parkhitko, N. P., & Nikulin, M. A. (2020). Military and naval power of Russia in the Black Sea and Mediterranean regions. Post-Soviet Studies, 3(1), 26-39. (In Russian).
  18. Lebedeva, M. M. (2020). New World order: Parameters and possible contours. Polis. Political Studies, (4), 24-35. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2020.04.03
  19. Lukshin, B. S. (2012). Military and political aspects of ensuring energy security [thesis]. Moscow: Institut SShA i Kanady RAN publ. (In Russian).
  20. Luzyanin, S. G. (2007). Vladimir Putin’s Eastern policy: Russia’s return to the “Greater East” (2004-2008). Moscow: Vostok-Zapad, AST publ. (In Russian).
  21. Maleev, V. V. (2011). Russia’s energy policy in the context of globalization [thesis]. Moscow: Diplomaticheskaya akademiya MID Rossii publ. (In Russian).
  22. Malysheva, D. B. (2015). Russia in the Mediterranean: Geopolitics and Modern Interests. Mezdunarodnaa Zizn’, (11), 111-123. (In Russian).
  23. Martynenko, E. V., & Parkhitko, N. P. (2018). Implementation of the Russian state armaments program 2011-2020: Economic and financial analysis. European Research Studies Journal, 21(2), 506-517
  24. Mikhlin, A. A., Molochny, V. V., Okhremchuk, S. N., Balandin, V. A., & Koemets, T. M. (2020). The new challenges and threats to the national interests of Russia in the Mediterranean region. Voennaya Mysl’, (6), 24-42. (In Russian)
  25. Mishulin, A. V. (1941). Ancient Slavs in excerpts from Greco-Roman and Byzantine writers in the 7th century AD. Journal of Ancient History, (1), 230-284. (In Russian).
  26. Naumkin, V. V., Popov, V. V., & Kuznetsov, V. A. (Eds.). (2012). Middle East. The Arab Awakening and Russia: What’s next? Moscow: IV RAN publ. (In Russian).
  27. Podtserob, A. B. (2015). Russia and the Arab world. Moscow: MGIMO Universitet, IV RAN publ. (In Russian).
  28. Primakov, E. M. (2016). Confidential. The Middle East on stage and behind the scenes. Moscow: Tsentrpoligraf publ. (In Russian).
  29. Stivachtis, Ya. A. (2021). A Mediterranean region? Regional security complex theory revisited. Vestnik RUDN. International Relations, 21(3), 416-428. https://doi.org/10.22363/2313-0660-2021-21-3-416-428
  30. Streltsov, D. V. (Ed.). (2014). Russia and East in the post-bipolar period. Moscow: Aspekt Press publ. (In Russian).
  31. Tarle, E. V. (1959). Admiral Ushakov in the Mediterranean Sea (1798-1800). In E. V. Tarle (Ed.), Collected Works: in 12 volumes. Vol. 10 (pp. 95-229). Moscow: Izd. Akad. nauk SSSR publ. (In Russian).

版权所有 © Kurylev K.P., Parkhitko N.P., 2021

Creative Commons License
此作品已接受知识共享署名-非商业性使用 4.0国际许可协议的许可。

##common.cookie##