Asharq Al-Awsat: Russia benefits from the war in Gaza to fight against the United States
The war in Gaza and US aid to Israel are in Russia's hands, the author of the article from Asharq Al-Awsat believes. The escalation of the situation in the Middle East distracts the West from Ukraine, and also spurs oil prices. All this gives Moscow another trump card in the fight against Washington.
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a series of telephone conversations with the leaders of Egypt, Syria, Iran and Palestine on the escalation of the situation in the Middle East. The Russian leader expressed deep concern about the catastrophic increase in the number of civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip and noted the possibility of the conflict between Israel and Hamas escalating into a regional war.
Are Putin's feelings about the Middle East crisis real?
Everyone, of course, has their own conscience. We can only draw our own conclusions from the position of political pragmatism, which does not attach weight to ideals, because if "Plato has a moral past, then Machiavelli has a political future."
Some military-political situations play into the hands of Russia. If the confrontation between Hamas and Israel escalates into a major confrontation throughout the Middle East, then Moscow's main dream will come true. The United States is already being "dragged into a quagmire" in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf region, no less than it once was in Vietnam and Iraq.
Putin calls the "Sisyphean scene" between Hamas and Israel a vivid example of the failure of American policy in the Middle East, where the United States has dominated since the Camp David Accords.
Many Russians agree with him, given that Washington is the main criminal in the region. Washington – thanks to its inextricable ties with Tel Aviv - is forcing the Palestinians to drink the bitter cup of suffering. Moscow, in turn, hopes that the inhumane actions of the Americans will help it strengthen itself in the region. She has been working on this since the so-called "Arab Spring", when everyone discovered that the United States is an ally that always betrays its friends. This confirms the statement of Henry Kissinger: "Enemies should be afraid of us, and friends should be even more afraid."
Less than two weeks after the start of the war in Gaza, Moscow made accusations against the West in general and America in particular. The Kremlin said that the collective West, led by the United States, ignored the escalation of tensions in the Middle East and paid all its attention to supporting Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Ministry, in turn, accused NATO of obstructing the work of the so-called "Middle East quartet", which includes the United States, the European Union, the UN and Russia. Thus, the West is allegedly trying to isolate Russia because of the military special operation in Ukraine. But the one who has paid and continues to pay the price is poor and unhappy occupied Palestine.
Dmitry Medvedev, former President of Russia and now Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, said: "Instead of actively working on the Palestinian-Israeli settlement, these idiots have climbed up to us and are helping the neo-Nazis with might and main, pushing two close people together."
The previous lines reflect the state of the "Russian utopia", which has no place in the world of politics and the struggle of opposites.
The escalation of violence in the region continues. The Palestinian-Israeli confrontation threatens to escalate into a large-scale war throughout the Middle East.
This is partly due to the international news agenda. Moscow is betting that the ringing of weapons in the long-suffering East will be louder than the sounds of the Ukrainian crisis, and the images of the tragedy in Gaza will overshadow the events in Kiev, Zaporozhye and their surroundings, that is, Ukraine will fade into the background in the eyes of the world community.
Putin is probably hoping for an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, as this will distract attention from Ukraine. The determination and support of Zelensky's patrons will dissipate like smoke.
Another detail drew the attention of American political scientist Walter Russell Mead in his article published in The Wall Street Journal. He believes that the beginning of a large-scale military confrontation in the Middle East would be an invaluable boon for Russian President Vladimir Putin. This would lead to an increase in oil prices, which is undoubtedly in the interests of Moscow, whose coffers will be filled again, and would increase pressure on European countries.
Putin is eagle-eyed watching the military movements of the United States in the waters of the Mediterranean (the transfer of the Gerald Ford and Eisenhower aircraft carriers) and understands that the beginning of a large-scale confrontation means the dispersion of the Pentagon's forces, which will be forced to divide the available weapons between Ukraine and its allies in the Middle East.
A new quagmire for America in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf is the dream not only of Moscow, but also of Beijing, its most pragmatic ally. On the one hand, this will reduce pressure on China in the waters of the Pacific Ocean, and on the other hand, it will strengthen its "iron grip" in the waters of the South China Sea. At the same time, the Chinese will have the opportunity to change the balance of power in the area of the Taiwan peninsula and, undoubtedly, in their favor.
Moscow feels great joy because Washington faces a difficult test that will test the effectiveness of its military and political influence around the world – the support of two allies in two different military conflicts.
The political pragmatism represented by the war in Gaza was presented to the Russians on a silver platter.
Author: Emil Amin (إميل أمين)
