In part four, Jon Alterman looks at U.S.-Russian cooperation and competition in the Middle East. He follows how U.S. policy in the Middle East has shaped Russian policy in the region, and how the U.S.-Russian relationship in the Middle East has evolved over the past three decades. During the episode, Jon talks with Anna Borschevskaya, senior fellow at the Washington Institute; Heather Conley, senior vice president for Europe, Eurasia, and the Artic and director of the Europe Program at CSIS; Phil Gordon, senior fellow in U.S. foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations; and Becca Wasser, fellow in the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security. Song Credits: "Tarte Tatin" from Confectionary via Blue Dot Studios; “Borough” from Molerider via Blue Dot Studios; "Denzel Sprak” from CloudCover via Blue Dot Studios; and“The Records” from Union Hall via Blue Dot Studios.

Phil Gordon, Losing the Long Game: The False Promise of Regime Change in the Middle East, St. Martin's Press, October 2020.

Anna Borschevskaya, "Russia Aims to Preserve the Status Quo in Lebanon," The Washington Institute, August 12, 2020.

Heather Conley on Energy 360°, "Race to the Top: China, Russia, U.S. Compete," CSIS, August 3, 2020.

Becca Wasser and Ben Connable, "The Limits of Russian Strategy in the Middle East," London School of Economics, May 10, 2018.

Episode Transcript, "Russia in the Middle East: Part Four," CSIS, September 22, 2020.