Six Shades of Grey? Increasing Pragmatism in Russian Strategy in the Islamic World

Abstract

Despite the popular quip that, when it comes to geopolitical grand strategy, Russians play chess not checkers, the reality has not always reflected this ideal. While Cold War Soviet strategists always envisioned themselves playing a rather more complicated game, the predicable Russian moves were more reminiscent of straightforward checkers than of the multifarious choreography of kings, queens, knights, and bishops. Have times changed? Has Russian strategy found a checkmate? Russian diplomatic engagement in the ever-bloodier Syrian civil war provides a timely rationale to assess the increasingly complex and nuanced strategy of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his wily Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov. According to The Telegraph, “Lavrov has emerged as probably the most formidable foreign minister in the world.” Indeed, the recent deal between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Lavrov to remove chemical weapons from the Bashar al-Assad regime, under UN auspices, is the most notable Russian diplomatic triumph in recent years.