Russia’s role in ensuring food security of Arab countries: challenges, opportunities, and prospects

Abstract

The crisis in Ukraine and Western sanctions against Russia have been causing severe damage to the food security at global, regional, and national levels. The Arab world has not been an exemption: disruption of logistic chains in the Black Sea region and increasing volatility of grain prices, aggravated by demographic boom, the global warming, and water deficit, generate high risks of producing new hunger hotspots and the “Arab Spring 2.0.”. Meanwhile, the United States and its allies are trying to benefit from growing challenges in the Middle East and North Africa, employing of the “carrot and stick” tactics. While the compromise “grain deal” has been temporarily extended, it does not solve the problem, but only somewhat alleviates it. However, despite all the difficulties and the deep differences between Western and Russian interests, including in this region, Russia can even more significantly contribute to enhancing food security of the Arab countries, acting on the basis of equal and mutually beneficial cooperation with the Arab world.