انجمن ژئوپلیتیک ایران فصلنامه بین المللی ژئوپلیتیک 1735-4331 22 2 2026 06 22 The Transformation of Russia's Middle East Policy (From Geopolitical Play to Geoeconomic Role) The Transformation of Russia's Middle East Policy (From Geopolitical Play to Geoeconomic Role) 344 364 230984 10.22034/igq.2025.540550.2063 FA Jahangir Karami Professor of Eurasian Studies Faculty of World Studies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. 0000-0001-8815-7069 Journal Article 2025 08 11 <span>Russia's policy in the Middle East has changed in the years following the Ukrainian war, and therefore the main purpose of this article is to analyze how this transformation and its consequences have occurred, and to answer the question of how Russia's policy has changed during this period? The author claims that during this period we are witnessing a gradual shift from a political and security strategy to a primarily economic strategy, and in fact, the game based on the geopolitical element has turned into a geoeconomic role-playing game. Although the context for such a situation began with the beginning of the Ukrainian war in 2022, the fall of the Assad regime has consolidated this situation. To discuss the hypothesis, the article uses the method of qualitative analysis of the hypothesis variables, by studying strategic documents on Russian national security and foreign policy, statements by government officials, the course of developments, and some economic statistics. Therefore, it first deals with the features of Russia's Middle East policy since the beginning of the Syrian civil war. The Ukrainian war and its consequences for Russia's Middle East policy will be discussed in the second section. Finally, it concludes by examining the major developments in the Middle East since the Ukrainian war. The main finding of this article is that Russia has not had a fundamental, long-term policy in the region and that, in general, the Kremlin’s strategy has been reactive to events and conditioned on seizing opportunities and avoiding problems for its regional interests. Given the strategic turn in its Middle East policy, it will not seriously intervene in future developments in the region. Perhaps the most important manifestation of this new game can be seen in Russia’s positions towards the Israel-Iran war.</span> <span>Russia's policy in the Middle East has changed in the years following the Ukrainian war, and therefore the main purpose of this article is to analyze how this transformation and its consequences have occurred, and to answer the question of how Russia's policy has changed during this period? The author claims that during this period we are witnessing a gradual shift from a political and security strategy to a primarily economic strategy, and in fact, the game based on the geopolitical element has turned into a geoeconomic role-playing game. Although the context for such a situation began with the beginning of the Ukrainian war in 2022, the fall of the Assad regime has consolidated this situation. To discuss the hypothesis, the article uses the method of qualitative analysis of the hypothesis variables, by studying strategic documents on Russian national security and foreign policy, statements by government officials, the course of developments, and some economic statistics. Therefore, it first deals with the features of Russia's Middle East policy since the beginning of the Syrian civil war. The Ukrainian war and its consequences for Russia's Middle East policy will be discussed in the second section. Finally, it concludes by examining the major developments in the Middle East since the Ukrainian war. The main finding of this article is that Russia has not had a fundamental, long-term policy in the region and that, in general, the Kremlin’s strategy has been reactive to events and conditioned on seizing opportunities and avoiding problems for its regional interests. Given the strategic turn in its Middle East policy, it will not seriously intervene in future developments in the region. Perhaps the most important manifestation of this new game can be seen in Russia’s positions towards the Israel-Iran war.</span> https://journal.iag.ir/article_230984_703aa4b33cabc513e3b8d4d312544821.pdf