The Middle East In Soviet Policy

221 Pages·1975·2.965 MB·English

by  R. D McLaurin

The Middle East in
Soviet Policy

The Middle East
in Soviet Policy
R.D. McLaurin
The American Institutes
for Research
Lexington Books
D.C. Heath and Company
Lexington, Massachusetts
Toronto London
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
McLaurin, Ronald D., 1944-
The Middle East in Soviet policy.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1. Russia—Foreign relations—Near East. 2. Near East—
Foreign relations—Russia. I. Title.
DS63.2.R9M33 327.47’056 74-31715
ISBN 0-669-98285-7
Copyright © 1975 by D.C. Heath and Company
Reproduction in whole or in part permitted for any purpose of the
United States Government.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or trans­
mitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, with­
out permission in writing from the publisher. The provision of United States
Government constitutes the only exception to this prohibition. This work
was sponsored by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Interna­
tional Security Affairs) under contract DAHC-15-C-72-0280. The conclu­
sions of this study are those of the author and should not be construed to
represent the policies of the United States Government or the views of the
American Institutes for Research.
Published simultaneously in Canada
Printed in the United States of America
International Standard Book Number: 0-669-98285-7
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 74-31715
To all my parents

List of Tables
Preface
Soviet Policy in the Middle East 1
Soviet Foreign Objectives: Framework for a Middle
East Policy 3
Introduction 3
The First Two Decades of the Soviet State,
1919—1939 4
Postwar Soviet Foreign Policy Objectives,
1945-1953 6
Stalin to Khrushchev, 1953-1962 8
Khrushchev and After, 1962—1972 10
Summary 12
Soviet Regional Objectives in the Middle East 15
Introduction: Importance of the Middle East 15
Political Objectives 16
Economic Objectives 29
Military Objectives 39
Cultural Objectives 43
Ideological Objectives 44
Soviet Objectives in the Middle East: An Overview 45
Constraints on Soviet Policy in the Middle East 47
Domestic Political Constraints 47
Domestic Economic Constraints 54
Domestic Military Constraints 55
Domestic Cultural Constraints 55
International Constraints 55
The Constraints on Soviet Policy: A Summary 66
Soviet Activities in the Middle East 67
Introduction to Part II 69
Political Activities 73
Political Representation 73
Political Cooperation 73
Political Communication 77
Political Penetration ' 78
Economic Activities 81
Introduction 81
Economic Assistance 81
General Development Assistance 87
Education, Training, and Technical Assistance 89
Summary 90
Trade 91
Military Activities 97
Introduction 97
Facilities and Forces 97
Arms Transfers 102
Training 113
Exercises 116
Visits 116
Conclusions 118
Cultural Activities 121
Introduction 121
Interest Groups 121
Communications: Channels and Messages 123
Cultural Exchange 125
Medals and Honors 137
Cultural Output 137
Effects and Effectiveness 138
Conclusions 141
Conclusions and Implications 143
Background 143
Recent Soviet Policy and Activities 144
Implications 148
Notes 155
Bibliography 171
Index 201
About the Author 207