As Nadia Petrova threw Serena Williams out of the Madrid Open, President Medvedev made his own powerplay in the Middle East by delivering landmark nuclear pacts with Turkey and Syria.
As a result, Russia may begin building nuclear power plants in the two countries.
Certainly, America is feeling diplomatically outflanked, but is there any real cause for alarm?
The issue of nuclear proliferation in the middle east is already hamstrung by the existence of Israel’s atomic arsenal, so it’s not like a few civilian power plants would reshape the regional balance of power.
Some in Israel are taking the matter stoically. Unlike some US hawks, the establishment does not view Russia’s engagement with Syria and Turkey as necessarily antagonistic to Israel’s interests. In fact, Russia may be the only power to bring all the players to the table for peace talks, and that could be good for all parties.
According to an article on Israel’s Ynet news,
“Russia doesn’t view it as taking sides. That’s too harsh. It’s taking the middle. It wants to assume the role of the Middle East mediator,” says former Ambassador Zvi Magen.
“It believes it already has us. We are ready to talk, and now the question is who will bring the others. The Russians seek to do it before the Americans, and for this Russia needs the Syrians and both parts of the Palestinians – including Hamas.”
Magen says the Russians are looking for Palestinian unity, in order to bring all sides to the negotiating table, “which they want to place in Russia as part of a Middle East conference attended by all parties – all the Palestinians, the Syrians and even Hezbollah.”
Russia seeks to upgrade its status. It wants to turn into a more important power. For this purpose it must activate worldwide moves, in the Middle East as well.”
Now it’s Obama’s turn to make the next move.