Maria Dubovikova
Maria Dubovikova

Maria Dubovikova is a prominent political commentator, researcher and expert on Middle East affairs. She is president of the Moscow-based International Middle Eastern Studies Club (IMESClub), expert of Valdai Club and RIAC (Russian International Affairs Council). Twitter: @politblogme

Israel, Russia in new paradigm in Syria created by the US

Israel at present is considering the repercussions of the US decision to withdraw from Syria, and continues to monitor how it will affect Israeli operations in Syria. They are keen to learn whether...

US pullout from Syria, a trap or a true lifeline?

The US withdrawal from Syria without a pull-out from Iraq is deemed as a plot. Russia will host a trilateral meeting in January to discuss the repercussions of the American withdrawal from Syria and...

Bashir meets Bashar: Is Russia supporting Sudan’s role in solving the Syrian crisis?

On December 16, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir paid a surprise visit to Syria and held a meeting with Bashar al-Assad. It was the first visit for any Arab leader to the war-torn country since the...

Telescoping 2019: More troubles, fewer breakthroughs

The situation in the Middle East will throw up more challenges in 2019. Based on the major trends of 2018, the decreasing role of the international organizations such as the UN, and the rise of old...

Mega-trends 2018: Reduced influence of international organizations

The year 2018 is coming to an end. It is time to recall all that has happened as that would foreshadow all that is in the offing in 2019. It is not an easy task to make predictions, irrespective of...

Beyond oil: Saudi-Russia cooperation enters new realm of possibilities

The G-20 summit in Buenos Aires gathered leaders of world economies, collectively representing 85 percent of the global GDP and approximately 80 percent of world trade.The summit in itself was...

Munich Security Conference and the choice of optimism

The much talked about Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2017 is over. It stays one of the milestones of the world politics in terms of sharing ideas on the most pressing issues on the world security...

Moving towards Geneva: Giving peace a chance

Syria is moving to the fourth round of the Geneva talks. Two days of inclusive talks in Riyadh, bringing to the negotiation table the expanded Syrian opposition, including the Astana delegation and...