Russia and NATO in the Middle East: Conflictual Relations

Abstract

This article compares the roles of NATO and Russia in the Middle East in the past decade, focusing on the influence of the Trump administration. This article raises questions about NATO's response to Moscow's renewed influence. – The primary question is: Does the Cold War zero-sum approach still apply to Russia and NATO in the Middle East? Second, what are NATO's concerns and approach to the Russian Federation and its renewed presence in the Middle East? Third, how has Russia interacted with NATO and the West since returning to the Middle East? Fourth, how did the Trump administration's position limit NATO's role in the Middle East? Fifth, is NATO's limited interest in the Middle East just to balance Russia's re-entry into the Middle East or because of the US pull out or some combination thereof? Sixth, is Russia's presence in the Middle East causing Middle Eastern countries to choose allegiance to Russia or the US (West) again or play one against the other? The research found that the two ex-foes share common interests in the Middle East and remain distant from the zero-sum logic of the Cold War era. Nonetheless, their strategies differ significantly.