Putin's Pro-Israel Policy :: Middle East Quarterly

Putin's Pro-Israel Policy :: Middle East Quarterly

While this article is a bit dated, its underlying premise is not -- the Russians, under Putin-Medvedev, have shown a much more balanced foreign policy towards Israel, and less shrill than Europe, based on a number of factors: Putin's antipathy towards Muslim terrorists, which could only be heightened by the subway terrorist attacks in Moscow several weeks ago, his empathy towards Israel as it is continuously castigated on the world stage for defending itself against Islamic extremists, the fact that one in five Israelis is Russian, and Putin's mystical attachment to the Russian Orthodox Church and great interest in its properties in Israel.

In addition to all of that, now consider the following: Obama's clear hatred of Israel and ridiculously naive/weak policy towards the Iranians offers Putin a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to radically alter the strategic picture in the Middle East. As Obama tries to permanently change US foreign policy away from a pro-Israel stance based on common values and security interests, the Israelis will find they need another big friend on the world stage pretty soon, one with a veto on the security council and with real influence over European foreign policy. Likewise the Saudis, moderate Arab nations like Jordan and the Gulf states need a counterbalance against Iran, because Obama's behavior towards America's erstwhile (to him) ally in the Mideast, Israel, and its feckless behavior towards Iran shows these Arab nations very clearly that they are on their own, and that, without a strong global voice behind them, they will become Finlandized by the new Middle Eastern superpower, a nuclear Iran.

Watch the Russians carefully. There is a good chance the Russians are about to undo fifty years of US influence building in the Middle East, because of Obama. This could make the disaster of Carter's Middle East foreign policy look like child's play.