Clearly, the impressive scope and range of these achievements belie explanations
emphasizing Russia’s tactical flexibility and opportunism alone. Those elements
represent only one dimension of the principles underlying Russian strategy and
policy. The striking absence of a thorough and comprehensive analysis of Russia’s
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Stephen J. Blank
objectives, tactics, policy instruments, goals achieved, and the implications of its
activities in the public discourse only contributes to Washington’s indecisive and
vacillating foreign and defense policy in the Middle East and toward Russia itself.
Russia’s achievements have encouraged US allies such as Israel, Turkey, and
Saudi Arabia (which is underwriting Egypt’s purchase of Russian weapons) to
make deals with Russia or look for other partners (e.g., Pakistan in Saudi Arabia’s
case9
), signifying their growing skepticism about US policy and even outright
disdain.