Contemporary Russia’s Hard and Soft Power Strategies in the Middle East

Over the past decades, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has undergone a profound transformation caused by external and internal factors that have changed its political, economic and social dynamics. A key element of this transformation has been the shift in regional power, with the decline of the United States and the emergence of global players such as Russia and China that have sought to enhance cooperation with MENA countries. This article aims to analyze Russia’s presence in the MENA region investigating its hard and soft power strategies and the historical aspects. This approach found expression in Russia’s strategy in Syria. It has become a clear example of hard power and in the promotion of alternative values in the West as an expression of soft power. The Ukraine crisis has reinforced this trend, leading many countries in the MENA region to remain neutral or even strengthen their relations with Russia, in part because of the perception that the West is losing its ability to maintain regional order. In the current context, Russia has taken a more flexible position than in the past, seeking to build ties with both historically pro-Western players and traditional US allies in the Middle East and North Africa. Russia, through the targeted use of hard and soft power, has managed to confirm its influence in the Middle East and North Africa, which, while remaining one of the strategic regions of its foreign policy, has undergone significant changes in the geopolitical balance.