Promotional Information

"Andrej Kreutz's study is rich, comprehensive, and sensitive to both Russian and Middle Eastern security perspectives. It provides important insights into the nature of the two's relationships, and it should become an essential reading for all those seeking to understand Russian and Middle Eastern politics." -- Andrei Tsygankov, Program Chair, International Studies Association 2006-07, Associate Professor, International Relations/Political Science, San Francisco State University "Based on meticulous research, Russia in the Middle East offers a comprehensive overview of Russian foreign policy toward specific Arab states in an era of shifting alliances and rapid change." -- Janice J. Terry, Professor of Middle East History, Eastern Michigan University "Kreutz's book is a very thoroughly researched work on one of the most complicated contemporary international problems--a problem that, at the end of the day, affects all of us. He explores Russia's contribution to the quest for an equitable solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict without which it is impossible to understand the dynamics and motivation of the main actors in the conflict. It is a must read for every person studying the Middle East." -- Andrei Liakhov, International Law Expert

About the Author

Andrej Kreutz teaches political science and international relations at the University of Calgary and at Mount Royal College in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Reviews

Kreutz has written a useful book concerning Russian ties with a number of Arab countries, including Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, and other nations located in the Arabian Peninsula, and the Palestinians. The book contains both a historical and political examination of Russia's approach toward the Palestinian problem. Kreutz furnishes an overview of Soviet policy in the region and then discusses how Russian policy developed after the breakup of the Soviet Union. The author places significant emphasis on Russia's role in the Arab-Israeli conflict….[a] useful volume on a timely topic. Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, and faculty.
*Choice*

Andrej Kreutz provides a detailed and fresh analysis of the Russian policies and motivations in that region in the past decade, updating and expanding upon the excellent scholarship of Galia Golan's Soviet Policies in the Middle East from World War Two to Gorbachev.
*The International History Review*

[D]etailed and carefully researched….[t]he volume represents a worthwhile addition to the literature on Russian-Arab relations.
*The Russian Review*

Kreutz analyzes post-Soviet Russian foreign policy towards Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel/Palestine, Iraq, Egypt, and the Arabian Peninsula in terms of its broad historical and geopolitical framework. The major questions he wishes to address in his treatment concern the origins of Russia's objectives in the Arab East (Al- Mashreq), the impact of sociopolitical change in Russian statehood on Russian foreign policy, the basic goals and characteristics of Russian diplomacy, President Putin's particular contributions to those goals and characteristics, and the compatibility (or lack thereof) of Russian foreign policy in the region with American, Israeli, or broader Western objectives.
*Reference & Research Book News*