Struggle for Alliance Russia and Iran in the Era of War in Ukraine
Produktdetaljer
Om bidragsyterne
Abdolrasool Divsallar is a Visiting Professor at the Universita’ Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, Italy, and a senior researcher at the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR). He is also a Non-Resident Scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington D.C, USA. He co-founded and led the Regional Security Initiative at the European University Institute from 2020-22. Dr. Divsallar’s focus and interests include Russia-Iran relations, military strategies in the Persian Gulf, Iran’s military and foreign affairs, regional security reform, non-proliferation issues, and security assistance. He has written and edited eight books, including Stepping Away From the Abyss: A Gradual Approach Towards a New Security System in the Persian Gulf (2021), and has published numerous peer review journal articles.This book provides a comprehensive study of the complex impacts of the war in Ukraine on Russo-Iranian relations, and the resulting consequences for the international relations of the Middle East. In contrast to dominant academic approaches, which view Russo-Iranian relations through the lens of an anti-hegemonic agenda and confrontation with the US-led international order, this study presents an alternative angle stating that the war in Ukraine has sped up Moscow and Tehran's interdependency, primarily because of the protective benefits that it brings to both states.
The book analyzes various debates about the impact of the war on Russo-Iranian relations. From the perspective of the emerging literature on authoritarian regionalism, the book explores how domestic politics and common threat perceptions play a role in these states’ decisions to adjust to the systemic changes caused by the war. Chapters address how changes in the strategic environment are affecting Moscow and Tehran’s perception of each other, what factors contribute the most to both states' decision to pursue greater cooperation and how they manage the new conflicts of interest raised by the war. The book also queries whether relations continue to be based on tactical partnership, or whether a stronger alliance between Moscow and Tehran is unfolding, and what the consequences of such a struggle for alliance will be for the wider region.
Introduction: What Makes a New Study Needed?
Abdolrasool Divsallar
Part 1 – Domestic Debates: Between State enthusiasm and public uncertainty
Chapter 1. Iran's Ascent in Russian Foreign Policy Thinking: The Emergence of a New Paradigm
Nicole Grajewski, Postdoctoral Fellow with the Belfer Center at Harvard's Kennedy School
Chapter 2. The Ukraine War and Internal Debates in Iran
Mahmood Shoori, Deputy Director of the Institute for Iran & Eurasia Studies
Chapter 3. Identity, Statehood, and Strategic Sympathy
Dianna Galeeva, Visiting Fellow at Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies
Part 2 – Systemic Constraints
Chapter 4. Russian Policy in the MENA and Mediterranean Regions: Implications for Iran
Mark N. Katz, Professor of Government and Politics at the George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government
Chapter 5. The Principle of Strategic Stability: Russia’s Nuclear Policy Towards Iran
Anastasia Malygina, Associate Professor at the School of International Relations at St. Petersburg State University
Part 3 – A Hybrid Status: Competition amid Cooperation
Chapter 6. Anti-Americanism and a Dream of Non-Western Order
Jeffrey Mankoff, Distinguished Research Fellow at the U.S. National Defense University's Institute for National Strategic Studies
Mahsa Rouhi, Research Fellow at the U.S. National Defense University’s Institute for National Strategic Studies
Chapter 7. Countering Sanctions: New Economic and Trade Prospects
Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, Founder and CEO, the Bourse & Bazaar Foundation
Chapter 8. Why Russian Energy Interests Cannot Match Iranian Ones
Jakub M. Godzimirski, Research Professor at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
Chapter 9. How the War in Ukraine Changes Russia and Iran’s Posture in Syria and the Eastern Mediterranean
Hamidreza Azizi, Visiting Fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP)
Part 4 – The Future of relations
Chapter 10. Is An Authoritarian Alliance Emerging?
Abdolrasool Divsallar
Conclusion
Abdolrasool Divsallar
The MEI Policy Series aims to inform policy debates on the most pressing issues that will shape the future of the Middle East. The series publishes manuscripts that provide cutting-edge analysis and recommendations to policymakers in the Middle East and to international actors as they work toward solutions to some of the most searing problems facing the region.
Seeking to contribute to policy debates that will influence the Middle East in the future, the MEI Policy Series promotes innovative and incisive work that focuses on issues that cut across the various countries of the region and span the areas of politics, culture, economics, society, the state, climate, health, gender and any other issue that meets the above policy impact criteria.
Series Editors:
Alistair Taylor, Editorial Director, Middle East Institute
Ross Harrison, Senior Fellow and Director of Research, Middle East Institute