Rise and fall: The Soviet Union's Grand Strategy Towards the Middle East and the Third World 1917–1991

From Lenin’s vision of global revolution to Gorbachev’s strategic withdrawal from the Global South, the USSR viewed the Middle East as a pivotal arena for ideological contestation and geopolitical influence. This book traces the rise, zenith, and eventual decline of the Soviet Red Star in the Middle East, offering a comprehensive historical and conceptual analysis of the Soviet Union’s grand strategy in the Middle East from 1917 to 1991. Drawing on extensive archival research from Polish, Ukrainian, NATO, and Soviet-era sources – as well as employing a multidisciplinary approach grounded in strategic studies, international relations, and Cold War historiography – this study uncovers the ideological, geopolitical, military, and economic dimensions of Soviet engagement in the region. In doing so, it also reveals the ongoing relevance of this history for Russia’s contemporary engagement in the Middle East and beyond, especially in the light of Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and 2022 invasion of Ukraine.