THE MIDDLE EAST AT THE CROSSROADS OF GEOPOLITICAL INTERESTS OF GREAT POWERS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29038/2524-2679-2021-01-18-33Keywords:
Middle East, geopolitics, foreign policy, oil factor, national interests, military presence, neo-OttomanismAbstract
The interests and foreign policy strategies of Great Powers in the Middle East are analyzed. The main contradictions and challenges that determine the architecture of the regional system of international relations in the last 50 years are identified. The positions and interests of the United States, Great Britain, France, Russia, and Turkey in the Middle East have been consistently revealed. It is determined that from the last quarter of the twentieth century. in the Middle East, US leadership in defining the political agenda has been established. The US geopolitical strategy in the region is to support strong allied powers (Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia), maintain a military presence, and contain the regional ambitions of Turkey and Iran.
British strategic interests in the Middle East are to influence oil pricing and the fight against international terrorism. Based on US dominance, London has closely coordinated its position with Washington since the early 1970s, acting as its reliable ally.
French foreign policy in the region balances between US interests, its own priorities and maintaining support in the Arab world. The main interests of Paris in the Middle East are the promotion of French companies, the fight against international terrorism, curbing the flow of migrants from the region to Europe. France seeks to maintain a dominant influence in some countries in the region, which in the past were part of its colonial empire (Lebanon, the Maghreb). France's diplomatic strategy includes both bilateral communication and attempts to form informal alliances.
Since the early 2000s, Turkey has been actively expanding its influence in the Middle East by increasing trade with them and deploying a military presence. Ankara's goal is to regain significant influence over affairs in the Middle East (neo-Ottomanism) and to become a regional state. In this context, Turkey's interests run counter to American dominance in the region.
Participation in Middle Eastern politics is seen by Russian political elites as one of the attributes of a great power. Russia has consistently opposed Western military intervention in the Middle East, believing that such actions undermine the political stability of the region. Moscow also supports Iran's regional ambitions as opposed to the influence of Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
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