Religious Narratives and Russia's Soft Power in the Middle East

The article investigates how Russian state and non-state actors promote religious narratives in the Middle East and what influence these narratives have on foreign policy. Adopting the interpretivist perspective, it combines critical discourse analysis and process tracing for the period 2011-2018. Two major narratives are identified: a specifically Orthodox narrative and a narrative grounded in Christian and broader spiritual values as well as inter-religious dialogue. The findings show that these religious narratives target strategically Middle Eastern and international audiences, generating various interactions and legitimising Russian foreign policy, including its military intervention in Syria.