Disappointed with the US, Arab youth sympathise with Russia

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RUSSIA is perceived by the Arab youth as a more reliable ally than the United States (US) according to data of the annual Arab Youth Survey.

RUSSIA is perceived by the Arab youth as a more reliable ally than the United States (US) according to data of the annual Arab Youth Survey.

BY OWN CORRESPONDENT

Respondents were asked to name their preferred ally in the foreign policy arena and Russia took fourth place and was the only non-Arab country in the top five.

For the first time since 2012, the US has not been included in the top five States that the Arab youth sympathise with.

This year, they ranked only 11th in the preferred allies categories. In addition, more and more Arabs (57% of respondents) see the US as an enemy. In 2012, only 32% of the respondents stated about the rejection of Washington.

The popularity of Russian media in Arabic countries has been growing lately.

This can be seen, in particular, using the RT example. In the Middle East and North Africa, this TV channel is watched by about 11 million viewers weekly.

Another example is Sputnik Arabic. This site is dynamically developing, and the audience is growing, including in social networks.

To date, the number of Sputnik Arabic subscribers on Facebook is 1.8 million people, and on Twitter – more than 140 000.

Prior to the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, Moscow played an important role in the Middle East, but ceased to be the leading player in the region after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

However, in this century, the alignment of forces in the region has changed again.

The US lost leadership during the Barack Obama presidency, while the Russian positions only intensified.

The results of the survey showed that young Arabs regard Russia as a strong, stable and a reliable partner. In recent years, many of the US’s Arab allies are unfolding toward Moscow.

The Arabs are blaming Washington for failing to secure a Palestinian-Israeli peace agreement. Moscow, on the other hand, played a significant role in the Syrian peaceful settlement.

One of the important factors in the favour of Arab youth to Russia is the figure of President Vladimir Putin, who seems to be a strong, determined and an authoritative leader.

US President Donald Trump, on the contrary, is regarded with skepticism.

The sharp rise in anti-Islamic sentiment in the US also does not add to Washington’s sympathy.

Moscow, on the other hand, has always propagated “moderate” Islamlism and the fight against terrorism.