PROFESSOR ROLAND DANNREUTHER

Russia, like the former Soviet Union, is an important and influential actor in the Middle East and this is currently seen in the critical role that Russia plays in the international negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme.  This talk will seek to provide the broader context of Russia’s engagement with Iran and the Middle East, the role that Russia’s 15 million Muslims play in forming policy and the economic and geopolitical factors which contribute to determining the priorities for Russia in the region.  A key question addressed is the extent to which Russia is now playing a spoiling role similar to that of the Soviet Union, or whether Russian policy can potentially support Western ambitions towards Iran and the region more generally.

Roland Dannreuther is Professor of Politics and International Relations at the University of Westminster.  He is currently completing a project for the Economic and Social Research Council on Islam in Russia, the details of which can be found in www.pol.ed.ac.uk/islam.  Forthcoming publications related to the project include Russia and Islam: Religion, State and Radicalism (edited with Luke March, Routledge 2010), Islamic ‘Radicalization in Russia: An Assessment’ in International Affairs (January 2010) and ‘Russia and the Middle East: Towards a New Cold War in Europe’ in Asia Studies (March 2010).  Roland Dannreuther is the author of International Security: the Contemporary Agenda (Cambridge: Polity, 2007) and The Soviet Union and the PLO (Basingstoke: Macmillan 1999).

For booking see http://www.gbrussia.org/lectures.php