Anna Borshchevskaya is the Harold Grinspoon Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute, focusing on Russia's policy toward the Middle East.
Articles & Testimony
Even though Moscow seems less invested in Iran's presence in Syria, Putin's political opportunism should still draw concern from Israel and the United States.
For the Kremlin, tensions between anyone—whether friends or foes—present opportunities for weakening both sides, and thus strengthen Moscow’s position by comparison. Putin likely views current tensions between Israel and Iran in the same vein. While he would prefer these current tensions to simmer rather than boil over, as U.S. policy in the region remains confused, it is easy for Moscow to continue to step in and present itself as a “peacemaker” that can talk to everyone....
