Pivot to the Middle East: the Factor of the “Islamic Awakening”

Abstract

The article discusses the prospects for expanding the strategy of Russia's turn to the East, taking into account the current changes in the system of the world politics in the context of the global phenomenon of “religious renaissance” and new factors caused by the Ukrainian crisis. Particular attention is paid to the specifics of the process of “Islamic awakening”, which had a direct impact on the formation of the modern foreign policy course of Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkey, which are among Russia's main partners in the Middle East. The author's periodization of the main stages of the “Islamic awakening” is offered for attention, including the chronological framework of the 1970s – 1980s, 1990s – 2000s and 2010s – 2020s. The article contains a description and characterization of the main priorities, ideological and value concepts and the Islamic components of Riyadh's foreign policy, Ankara and Tehran. Particular attention is paid to the regions and areas where the interests of the Russian Federation and the “heavyweights” of the Middle East intersect. In particular, the issues of political processes aimed at the formation of identities and integration projects within the “Muslim” and “Turkic world” are considered. The article raises the question of understanding the independent republics of Transcaucasia and Central Asia as an integral part of the conceptual space of the Post-Soviet East in the context of balancing Russian interests and priorities in the context of current changes in the world order system. Based on the results of the analysis, the author describes the advantages and main challenges of Russia's bilateral cooperation with Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkey through the prism of the processes associated with the “religious renaissance”, “Islamic awakening” and the formation of a post-secular society.