Стр. 17 - V

Author : A. Podtserob
Senior Research Associate, Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences, Candidate of
Science (History)
THERE IS A RANGE OF FACTORS behind the foreign policies
of Islamic countries, which include their geopolitical status, their
international political and economic relations, their ideologies, and
the interests of their ruling classes. Islam is one of these factors.
Muslims typically have a black-and-white picture of the world, see-
ing it as a scene of struggles between powers of good and evil. The
non-Muslim part of the globe is seen as a hostile world that is con-
trolled by the great powers embroiled in economic rivalries with one
another. Equal relations between great powers and Muslim nations
are deemed impossible as the former are assumed to be fighting for
control of the latter. Religious Muslims think that, in this situation,
there is nothing but a miracle they can hope for.
Many Islamic theologians advocate pan-Arabism or pan-Turkism, movements that are among
factors behind Muslim countries' foreign policies, although they have roller-coaster effects.
NATO countries seek to exploit domestic conflicts in Arab states for their own ends, which ex-
plains their interference in the internal affairs of Arab nations. Gulf states pursue the same goal
in intervening in the home affairs of other Arab countries. Early in 2002, the United States pro-
claimed a doctrine whereby it accorded itself the right to topple any government that it considers
a threat to objectives it is trying to achieve.
Moscow protests American attacks on Syrian government forces and progovernment militias.
However, Russia is not against the coalition's action against the Salafis although it insists that
any such action must be subject to approval from the Syrian government or the UN Security
Council.
To sum up, Islam will definitely remain a factor in the policies of Muslim countries in the fore-
seeable future.
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Islam as a Factor in the Foreign Policies of Muslim Countries