Valdai Club

Yudi Subiantoro

Gulshan Sachdeva

Walid Salem

Igor Shuvalov

Darya Saprynskaya

Sheng Shiliang

Maxim Starchak

Viktor Sumsky

Artyom Sokolov

Nikolai Sukhov

Russian Federation

PhD in History, Leading Researcher at the Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO RAS)

Materials

The Middle East Crisis: What Stands Behind Moscow’s Neutrality?

Russia’s neutral approach can be seen as an attempt to prevent further escalation. Moscow has no interest in disrupting the economic channels that connect it with the Gulf. It also has no interest in aligning its regional policy fully with the logic of confrontation around Iran, writes Nikolai Sukhov.

Syria at the Crossroads of Conflicts and Foreign Interests

In 2025, the new government in Syria failed to demonstrate an ability to create stable institutions, ensure public security, or establish mechanisms for social consensus. Competition between armed groups has made the country vulnerable to localised outbreaks of violence, ethno-confessional conflicts, and new waves of destabilisation, writes Nikolay Sukhov.

The Reality of the New Constitution of Syria

All that is left is to wish the Special Representative and his staff to be patient and to remain firm in their uphill struggle to provide favorable conditions for the operations of the Syrian Constitutional Committee.

What to Expect from the Saudi King’s Historic Visit to Russia

Both states recognize the role and significance of each other geopolitically. The Saudi business community is preparing a powerful “landing party” for Russia, of up to 700 people, in hopes of creating new and developing existing ties with Russian companies.

Report: The Middle East: Darkness Before the New Dawn? Regional Conflicts and the Future of the Global Community

Military conflicts, terrorism, lack of natural resources, unemployment, disparity – all these are but a fraction of problems, which persist in the Middle East. Political rivalry at regional level as well as global actors’ interference lead to increasing tensions. Why does the region turn out to be so vulnerable to the conflict?

Report: The Middle East in a Time of Troubles: Traumas of the Past and Challenges of the Future

The Middle East today epitomizes major global trends: international processes becoming more ungovernable, the resurgence of power as a factor in international relations, the greater role played by contingency, the world’s periphery and semi-periphery gaining in strength amid a crisis in the concept of the nation state and national identity.

Position Paper: The Middle East: From Conflicts to Stability

The mass-scale protests in Arab countries triggered a tectonic shift in the Middle East.