IS RUSSIA WAITING TO BECOME THE MAIN MEDIATOR IN THE MIDDLE EAST?
For decades, the United States has occupied the mediator's seat in the Middle East. From the Camp David Accords (1978) to the Oslo process (1990s) to the Abraham Accords (2020), Washington has been the indispensable broker, the power that could talk to both sides, the nation that could deliver results. But that seat is becoming vacant. Not because the United States has left the region — it hasn't. But because the United States has become too identified with one side (Israel) to be perceived as neutral by the other side (the Arab and Muslim worlds). And without perceived neutrality, effective mediation is impossible. Enter Russia. Russia has maintained relations with all parties: Israel, Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, Saudi Arabia, the Palestinian Authority, Turkiye, Egypt, the UAE. Russia has no colonial history in the Arab world (unlike Britain and France). Russia has a veto at the UN Security Council that can protect or pressure any side. And Russia has positioned itself as the alte...