No matter which way some American pundits might want to spin it, there’s no denying that Russia has returned as a decisive player in the Mideast, in some ways rivaling, if not surpassing, the US’ former role. It’s no longer possible to speak about a so-called “Pax Americana” in the Mideast when Russia is taking the lead in reviving Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and being the key foreign power in assisting a settlement to the War on Syria.
The global crossroads of West Asia are the latest zone of competition in the New Cold War, with Russia’s rising multipolar influence clashing with the US’ embedded unipolar establishment.
Dmitry Polikanov, a member of the board at the PIR Center, a Moscow-based think tank (studio guest) and Hugh Lovatt, Israel/Palestine project coordinator at the European Council on Foreign Relations based in London joined us to discuss the issue.