The question of (dis)order remains central to current debates on Middle Eastern politics and security. It is a multifaceted question with security, political, and economic dimensions and is intimately interlinked with the Middle East’s place in the changing global system and external powers’ relations with the region. 

The question of (dis)order remains central to current debates on Middle Eastern politics and security. It is a multifaceted question with security, political, and economic dimensions and is intimately interlinked with the Middle East’s place in the changing global system and external powers’ relations with the region. 

This issue brief argues that the war has thus far not changed Russia’s position in the Middle East in any significant way. Moscow strives to maintain its place and influence in regional geopolitics as much as possible.

Iran’s “Look East” policy is generally understood as a strategy aimed at fostering stronger political, economic, and strategic connections with countries in the Eastern hemisphere, particularly in Asia, with the goal of broadening alliance networks and diminishing Iran’s susceptibility to Western powers’ influence.