Moscow and the Middle East: Soviet Policy Since the Invasion of Afghanistan

438 Pages·1991·7.77 MB·English

by  Robert O. Freedman

In this important student text, Professor Freedman provides an exhaustive
account of Soviet policy in the Middle East from the invasion of Afghanistan in
December 1979 to withdrawal from the country ten years later.
Following an introductory chapter which views the period from World War II
to the invasion, Robert Freedman examines policy motives and outcomes in a
broadly chronological approach. Specific and detailed attention is paid to Soviet
policy towards the Iran-Iraq war, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and intra-Arab
policies. Throughout, Professor Freedman compares the policies of Gorbachev
with those of his predecessors - Brezhnev, Chernenko, and Andropov. He
concludes that continuity, not change, has characterized recent Soviet policy
toward the Middle East. This can be seen, for example, in Soviet plans for a
settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict, in Soviet unwillingness to use military
force to challenge either Israeli or American activities, and in the Soviet position
on the Iran-Iraq war. However, as Robert Freedman observes, the Soviet
withdrawal from Afghanistan, its sharp improvement of relations with Egypt,
and the moderation of its relations with Israel, may represent a policy change
which could be built upon in the future.
Moscow and the Middle East is based on a wealth of documentation. This
includes interviews with Middle East politicians and government officials,
Middle East and Soviet newspapers, speeches and statements of Soviet govern­
ment ministers and official Moscow radio broadcasts in the Arab world. This
book will provide students of Soviet foreign policy, the Middle East and inter­
national relations with an invaluable textbook. It will also prove an essential
reference source for government officials and policy analysts.

Moscow and the Middle East

MOSCOW AND THE
MIDDLE EAST
Soviet policy since the invasion of Afghanistan
Robert O. Freedman
Peggy Meyerhoff Pearlstone Professor of Political
Science and Dean of Graduate Studies
Baltimore Hebrew University
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CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
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© Cambridge University Press 1991
First published 1991
Printed in Great Britain at the University Press, Cambridge
British Library cataloguing in publication data
Freedman, Robert O. (Robert Owen)
Moscow and the Middle East: Soviet policy since the
invasion of Afganistan.
1. Soviet Union. Foreign relations with Middle East
I. Title
327.47056
Library of Congress cataloguing in publication data
Freedman, Robert Owen.
Moscow and the Middle East: Soviet policy since the invasion of
Afghanistan / Robert O. Freedman,
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-521-35184-7. ISBN 0-521-35976-7 (pbk)
1. Middle East - Foreign relations - Soviet Union. 2. Soviet Union ■
Foreign relations - Middle East. 3. Soviet Union - Foreign
relations - 1975-1985. 4. Soviet Union - Foreign relations -1985-
I. Title.
DS63.2.S65F72 1991
327.47056 dc20 90 31056 CIP
ISBN 0 521 35184 7 hardback
ISBN 0 521 35976 7 paperback
For Sharon, with love

Contents
Preface page xi
Introduction 1
1 On the eve: Soviet policy toward the Middle East from
World War II until the invasion of Afghanistan 15
2 Soviet policy from the invasion of Afghanistan until the
death of Brezhnev 71
3 The interregnum: Moscow and the Middle East under
Andropov and Chernenko 148
4 Moscow and the Middle East under Gorbachev: new
thinking in theory and practice 205
5 Conclusion: continuity and change in Soviet policy toward
the Middle East 317
Notes 339
Bibliography 399
Index 416