What is driving the 'Arab Spring' countries closer to Russia?

US President Barack Obama appears to be uneasy about the Middle East, as most of the countries that experienced the so-called "Arab Spring" are now gradually distancing themselves from the US to seek help from Russia, according to Rianovosti news agency.

US President Barack Obama appears to be uneasy about the Middle East, as most of the countries that experienced the so-called "Arab Spring" are now gradually distancing themselves from the US to seek help from Russia, according to Rianovosti news agency.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (far right) welcomes Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) at Cairo International Airport on February 9. Photo: AFP/VNA

In February, numerous high-ranking officials, from the Libyan Prime Minister to leaders of several Yemeni parties, made visits to Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Egypt on February 10th was considered by analysts to be one of the most important diplomatic events of the year for both countries.

The US only provides assistance when it deems it necessary.

Following NATO's intervention that led to the overthrow of Muammar Gadhafi in the 2011 civil war, Libya's status quo was fragmented, resulting in the 2014 conflict.

Libyan Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani told Rianovosti in an interview on February 24: "The US and the UK support military groups but refuse to supply weapons to the Libyan army."

Currently, the Libyan government is requesting Russian assistance to combat the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) and other jihadist groups. Speaking at a meeting at the Rossiya Segodnya press center in Moscow on February 5th, Al-Thani stated that Libya hopes to cooperate militarily with Russia in terms of both arms supply and training.

Libya's infrastructure was largely destroyed during the civil war, and in the process of reconstruction, it could not afford expensive advanced Western technologies, forcing it to accept loans from the IMF and the World Bank, which are believed to have strong political ties and influence. Therefore, the alternative was Russia, which was always ready to offer generous contracts at cheaper prices.

Al-Thani told Rianovosti: “We have big plans for electricity production and railway construction. We have been in contact with Russian companies and always welcome the return of Russian businesses to Libya because they are very trustworthy and complete the work with good quality.”

Meanwhile, in February, Russia and Egypt jointly agreed on a plan for Moscow to assist in the construction of Cairo's first nuclear power plant.

Lessons from the 2011 protests

To prevent a food crisis, one of the causes of the 2011 protests (the starting point of the Arab Spring), Egypt turned to Russia for assistance in building storage facilities to help the country "preserve" 80% of its grain needs as a reserve in case of fluctuations.

Meanwhile, at the UN Security Council, both Egypt and Libya want Russia to speak out in support, rather than the United States. Libya has asked Russia to help end the arms embargo, while Egypt needs Russia's cooperation to find a solution that would allow military intervention against the influence of jihadists after ISIS forces in Libya killed 21 Egyptian Christians.

On February 25th, a group of Yemeni politicians arrived in Moscow at the invitation of the Russian State Duma. Yemen is currently in need of Russian assistance in oil exploration.

Meanwhile, according to Rianovosti's assessment, Syria (where the US has decided to support and train anti-government rebels) could also face a situation similar to Libya. In the event of the government's overthrow, the US would not intervene too deeply in the country's administration, beyond disrupting economic ties with Russia and Iran.

According to News