New Directions For Soviet Middle East Policy In The 1980 S

By a rather unfortunate coincidence, a consensus has been reached among Western observers on an analytical framework within which to view Soviet foreign policy in areas of the Third World like the Middle East, at the very moment when the rules of that game, it would appear, are being rewritten rather drastically. The decade of the 70s has seen a steady erosion of Soviet influence in the region as a result of an active diplomacy on the part of the United States and some of its European allies. The precedents shattered by the recent Soviet intervention in Afghanistan have come as a surprise to many, but it is in fact only the logical culmination of a shift in tactics begun by the Soviets over the last four or five years, designed precisely to overcome the generally-recognized weaknesses in their earlier position. This paper will begin with an overview of the traditional mode of Soviet behavior in the Middle East as it evolved in the two decades between 1955 and 1975, with special reference to its difficult experience in Egypt and Iraq. It will then analyze the steps that the Soviets have taken over the past half-decade to ensure that their expulsion from Egypt would not be repeated elsewhere, and will conclude with a discussion of the implications of this shift for the Western alliance.

In the first years of the Soviet regime there was little, if any, Soviet interest in Arabia and the Persian Gulf. Over the last fifty years relations between Russia and this part of the world have become more complex; this book traces their intricate history in a full analysis of Soviet policy towards the Arabian Peninsula. It opens with a review of events from the beginning of the Soviet regime until 1975. The author goes on to consider the period between 1975 and 1978, concentrating especially on Soviet relations with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and South Yemen. The impact of the rise of the Ayatollah Khomeini’s Islamic Republic in 1979 is examined in detail, with the emphasis on the situation in Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and both North and South Yemen. Finally the author examines the effect on Soviet policy of the Iran-Iraq war and the subsequent insecurity in the Gulf region. This study is based on mainly primary sources of Soviet, Arab, Iranian and Western origins.

This book examines the deep-seated problems in the Middle East and their impact on the United States and its allies. Exploring the disruptive effects of the double-edged sword of nationalism and modernization, the contributors discuss the full range of Western security interests in the region. Case studies of key countries emphasize the prospect for peaceful political, economic, and cultural change. The authors analyze the ramifications of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the threats posed by Soviet penetration. Arguing that confusion and contradiction mark U.S. policy in the Middle East, the book concludes that U.S. strategists should focus not on curing the region's internal problems but on coping with them without sacrificing long-term goals for quick fixes.

An evaluation of Soviet efforts to penetrate the major regions in the southern hemisphere, concluding that success has been modest and continues to be costly. It is suggested that a world society could emerge based on socio-economic and political competition rather than conflict and arms races.

This volume, first published in 1982, provides a comprehensive analysis of the problems affecting the interests of the Western Alliance (the North Americans, the Europeans and the Japanese), the Middle East states, and the Soviet Union. The authors, all internationally recognized experts in their fields, bring together different and distinctive perspectives on such central issues as the Arab-Israeli dispute, the dynamics of the energy crisis, alliance unity and the role of the Soviet Union, and the effect of growing Middle East instability on the interests of individual allied countries. The chapters address the major issues both historically and in terms of current events; and they seek to examine relationships both from the perspective of the various countries and of the Alliance as a whole.

This book provides an extensive military and strategic analysis of the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula, assessing the regional military balance, the internal security and stability of each Gulf nation, the evolution of each nation's forces from 1969 into 1983, and the impact of defense spending and Western and Soviet-bloc arms sales in the region. Comprehensive statistics are provided on arms transfers to each country since 1969 and on the forces each nation is capable of deploying in the Gulf.

This book, first published in 1981, examines the broader aspects of international strategic relations, and analyses Cold War developments within particular nations, fields of warfare and areas of political-military interaction. The role of force in international society changed as the nuclear deadlock between the superpowers continued, with military forces being deployed for political purposes in situations only just short of war. The balance between NATO and Warsaw Pact forces also changed as American technology increased and short-range nuclear missiles were deployed in Europe. This book also examines the development of strategic thinking in China, Japan and India, as well as insurgency in the Third World, so often the site for proxy superpower conflict.

Eksperter i Mellemøst-anliggender skriver de sovjetrussiske udenrigs- og sikkerhedspolitiske bestræbelser i Mellemøsten samt USSR's forhold til og påvirkning af de enkelte lande i regionen herunder den sovjetiske besættelse af Afghanistan samt USAþs og USSRþs indbyrdes forhold i Mellemøsten.