ABSTRACT
As was the case during the Soviet period, Russia’s main export to the non-West has been weaponry, and a major beneficiary of renewed activity in these regions has been the underemployed military-industrial complex of Russia. Accordingly, the objective of Russia’s policy in the non-West has been to ensure the security of the territories of the former Soviet lands, insulating them from the harmful effects of regional conflicts such as the struggle for control of Afghanistan and from threatening movements such as Islamist extremism. The termination of the global ideological and geopolitical struggle with the United States, together with the significant limitations on Russia’s ability to project economic influence, initially caused a reorientation of Moscow’s priorities to those areas that border the post-Soviet states. Summing up Russia’s relationship with Iran, a journalist perhaps reflected official Russian frustration when he stated that “rogue states” like Iran expected Russia to “pull chestnuts out of the fire for them” while offering little in return.
