Realpolitik and Selective Cooperation
Russian-Israeli Relations amid the War in Syria
Lidia Averbukh, Margarete Klein
Abstract
Russia and Israel share important elements in their strategic cultures. Both are staunch adherents of realpolitik and cooperate only when their interests align. Each perceives itself as a “besieged fortress” in which security policy is paramount and power primarily means military strength. Social and economic ties, though growing, are of secondary importance for Russian-Israeli relations. But the limits of their convergence are clearly visible in the unpredictable dynamics of the Syrian conflict and their differing views about the role that Iran and the US should play in the region.
(Special Issue, S. 131–144)