Russia has always
looked on at events in the Middle East from afar, shut out of the action, and
remains an onlooker today, absorbed by its own problems. Eric Walberg
looks at the implications for Russia of the revolutions and no-so-revolutions
sweeping the Middle East
Russian politics is in turmoil as a result of the uprisings in the Arab world, in particular the Egyptian revolution. Those fed up with an increasingly autocratic political system hope that Russian citizens will be energised, while those who came out on top following the collapse of the Soviet Union are quick to dismiss any implications for the Russian political scene.