Egypt

The article describes the peculiarities of British policy in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East during 1699–1791, within the context of the diplomatic confrontation in Europe and the defense of British possessions in India.

The article examines the image of the Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII, formed in European culture. It shows the role of the ancient tradition (Plutarch first of all) in the formation of the main features of this image, the importance of the iconic literary works of W. Shakespeare and B. Shaw for its development, and then its development in the cinema up to the beginning of the 21st century.

The article considers the policy of George H. W. Bush Republican administration towards Egypt. The author analyzes the background, factors of formation, evolution and results of the U.S. Egyptian policy during the period under review.

The article analyzes the main provisions of the concept of «Islamic Awakening», which became the basis of the foreign policy doctrine of Iran in the period of «Arab spring». However, given the specifics of the development of events in 2011 in Syria, called the Syrian Spring, which did not fit into the concept of Islamic Awakening, the Iranian authorities were forced to “finalize” it.

Based on Iranian and Arabian sources, the article analyzes the formation of the «Arab peace initiative» on Syria, which was supposed to put an end to the 2011 Syrian crisis by regional states. The participation of Iran, the closest ally of Syria in the Middle East region, its reaction and the evolution of the approach to the «Arab initiative» as it is being implemented, is examined.