RUSSIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST: FROM "HONEST BROKER" TO "STATUS-KEEPER".

Using the framework of social identity theory, the article attempts to explain the main shifts in Russian policy toward the Middle East since the collapse of the Soviet Union. According to this theory, states have three strategies for achieving status: social mobility, social competition, and social creativity. In the 30 years prior to January 2022, Russian policy in the Middle East tested each of these strategies. In the 1990s Moscow's actions in the region acquired a pragmatic character and can be characterized as social mobility. In the 2000s, with the strengthening of the country's position, the Russian leadership employed the strategy of social competition. The events of the Arab Spring and the stagnation of relations with the West led to a crisis of social competition and an orientation toward social creativity. However, social creativity in the Middle East proved too costly for Moscow: Russia needed to be recognized as "equal" to other global players and minimize costs. This resulted in Russia's policy of balancing between social creativity and social competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]