SUM09212 – Russia vs the U.S. in the Middle East: The New Cold War?

PutinÕs Russia is on the verge of supplanting the U.S. as the major force in the Middle East. Russia has eagerly stepped into the vacuum caused by the U.S. seeming to lose focus in the Middle East. Decisions under both the Obama and Trump administrations have permitted this shift to happen. How has Putin been so successful? How has the Syrian civil war expedited this process? What does Russia hope to achieve? What is its relationship with Turkey, Iran, Israel, and the Kurds? What are the possible responses the U.S. might take under President Biden to thwart this power shift? These questions and more will be explored.