title: Introduction
abstract: This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book argues that although Moscow’s cooperation with the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries was reduced dramatically throughout the entire decade of the 1990s, it was never cut off completely. It analyzes the relations between Russia and Israel – a key country for the fragile balance of the region pointing at major historic episodes and key factors that defined the relation