Soapbox:

Russia returns

By Mahmoud Murad

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Moscow is on its way to becoming a centre of world power once more. This would be good news for the region and a boost to world stability.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union 16 years ago, the US became the sole global superpower. Its agenda has wreaked havoc on the region. Look around and see what the past decade or so has brought. US policy has failed in Somalia. Iraq is a living nightmare. Lebanon is on the verge of another civil war. Sudan is about to fall apart. Syria is under threat. And Algeria and Morocco are barely managing. Muslims have been vilified and Islam recast as the source of all evils. And who exactly did that? Who is working day and night to turn Israel into the dominant country in the region? Who needs a demon to fight in order to assert world domination?

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the US has been on a mission to divide and conquer the Arab world, negate pan- Arabism, and undermine our self-confidence. It has almost succeeded. This is why the resurgence of Russia is a good thing. We need an international order that has a sense of direction. We need to forge closer links with Russia. We need to revive our ties with all developing nations. Only then can we have a world that works together for peace and justice. Only then can we end this worldwide destruction and double-dealing.

The Russians are coming, and their place is waiting in a world that has all but lost its senses. Russia has legitimate and historic interests in the Middle East. It has friendships to revive and economic interests to promote. And we should help.

This week's Soapbox speaker is deputy editor-in-chief of Al-Ahram.