Participants in the special session on Crisis in the Middle East focused on three major issues: the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Iranian nuclear program, and the regional role of Western powers, primarily in the context of events of the past few years.

       Contrary to widespread recent opinion, current regional conflicts are not solely caused by foreign intervention, although its role should not be underestimated. Corruption-ridden regimes failing to cope with domestic social challenges are the main driving force of revolutionary movements.

       However, the external factor also has tremendous significance, including in the global perspective. First, unlike other regions, the Middle East has never been completely decolonized. Second, British and US operations in Iraq have undermined the authority of international law and have set the stage for the rise of Al Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. It is already possible to say that the US campaign in Syria has failed.

       It may be a paradox, but no one wants the United States to quickly and completely withdraw from the region because this would completely undermine the fragile security system in the Middle East. Moreover, although one can certainly question the effectiveness of US efforts to spread democracy in the region, as well as the very idea that the Middle East needs democratic regimes, the issue of the legitimacy of dictatorial regimes remains on the agenda.

       Intra-regional struggles also play an important role.

       The Palestinian-Israeli conflict remains the key crisis in the Middle East. It should be stressed that its peaceful resolution is impossible without involving third parties. At the same time, the future development of the entire region depends on the settlement of this crisis. Israel is also highly interested in resolving this conflict because it otherwise runs the risk of becoming a failed state. In addition, the scale of the conflict far transcends regional borders because the behavior of all the main participants threatens the existence of the entire system of international law. Currently, Israel enjoys total impunity despite its regular violations of international law that tend to delegitimize it.

       The Iranian nuclear program also remains an unresolved issue. All the main parties, including Iran, are interested in resolving it. The stance of the P5 + 1 (five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany) remains the same: The development of nuclear weapons by Iran is absolutely unacceptable. Apart from that, rapprochement with Iran would be beneficial for the United States because this would strengthen its influence in the Middle East.

       For its part, Iran would be free of sanctions and able to rebuild its economy. The Iranian nuclear issue remains a platform for cooperation between the West and Russia. In fact, Russia has always generated creative ideas during the P5 + 1 talks with Tehran. However, Russia also faces sanctions today, and it is still hard to predict their impact on the negotiating process. It should also be noted that, apart from its involvement in dialogue on Iran’s nuclear disarmament, Russia plays a fairly minor role in the region.

       Views expressed are of individual Members and Contributors, rather than the Club's, unless explicitly stated otherwise.