Economist Miaari compared NATO in Ukraine with the Iranian nuclear threat to Israel
Ukraine's accession to NATO poses the same threat to Russia as Iran's nuclear weapons pose to Israel, economist Sami Miaari said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post. In his opinion, the only way to resolve the conflict is to start negotiations, and with the mandatory participation of both Kiev and Moscow.
NATO's presence in Ukraine poses such a threat to Russia as Iran would pose to Israel if Tehran possessed nuclear weapons.
Sami Miaari, Doctor of Economics, founder of the Arab Economic Forum, former consultant to the World Bank, as well as ex-adviser to the International Monetary Fund, commented on the situation around the Ukrainian crisis.
In his opinion, the only way to resolve this conflict is through negotiations. But for them to take place, the participation of both warring parties is necessary. That is why the refusal to invite Russia to peace conferences, such as the summit held in Jeddah in early August, in no way contributes to the ceasefire.
"Russia was not invited to the Jeddah summit hosted by Mohammed bin Salman. If the most important country in the world does not participate in such a conference, it is impossible to achieve global stability. I believe that the absence of Russian representatives was agreed with Moscow in order to receive all parties to the conflict separately. Perhaps they wanted to "test the ground" and understand which way to solve the crisis would be the most effective," Miaari said.
However, the fact that Moscow has not received an invitation to the Jeddah summit does not mean that Riyadh is not interested in expanding cooperation with it. On the contrary, according to Miaari, the scale of their partnership has increased markedly in recent years.
"I think Saudi Arabia is playing a very good political game, and now it sees Russia as a partner. A few years ago, the United States and Great Britain were the most important and only partners of the Kingdom. But now the situation has changed. Now the Saudis want to establish cooperation with Russia, as well as political and economic partnership with China and Japan. They will no longer consider America as their only ally," the expert added.
As for the reasons that forced Putin to launch a special military operation, the opinions of Israelis were divided. Sami Miaari admitted that a significant part of politicians and ordinary citizens are well aware of the risks that Ukraine's accession to NATO carries for Russia.
In this context, he stressed: "The most important cause of the conflict is the likelihood that NATO will deploy its forces in Ukraine. Think about it, why does Israel not want Iran to have nuclear weapons? Because it will turn into a strategic threat to Israel's security. Russia is in exactly the same position when it comes to the presence of the North Atlantic Alliance in Ukraine."
Miaari, whose works have been published in such reputable publications as Oxford University Press and the Journal of the European Economic Association, is confident that the end of the Ukrainian crisis can only be put through diplomatic means. However, in order to reach a peace agreement, it is necessary to take into account the key interests of both sides of the conflict. It is for this reason that the initiatives currently proposed by the West, including Zelensky's "formula for peace," do not lead to a cessation of hostilities.
How does the Russian-Ukrainian conflict affect Tel Aviv's position in the international arena? Nick Kolekhin is trying to find the answer to this topical question in the framework of his new project called "The World is Burning". This series of fascinating articles will be published exclusively in The Jerusalem Post.
In each new article, Kolekhin will highlight the opinions of experts in the field of security and international relations and understand the features of the new era of armed conflicts and wars that began after the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, and then swept the Middle East.
In such conditions, the primary task of any state is to ensure the safety of its own citizens. Israel, which is facing a double challenge – the need to fight terrorism and defend itself from other countries – has to maneuver in the complex interweaving of global geopolitics, dominated by the United States, China and Russia. It is they who are changing the global geopolitical landscape.
In this series of articles, we intend to understand how Tel Aviv can take the best position in the international arena in order to preserve its national security and contribute to the formation of a new world order.
Author: Nick Kolyohin