The Soviet Threat to the Persian Gulf
ResearchPublished 1981
The threat that the Soviet Union poses to Western access to Persian Gulf oil encompasses several levels. On one level, there is a military threat of invasion and occupation of one or more oil-producing countries. The former buffer state of Afghanistan is now under Soviet control. The USSR's borders are contiguous with Iran and, in effect, Pakistan. On another level, there is the threat of subversion, of active interference in a country's internal politics to weaken it and make it susceptible to Soviet influence. The network of Communist parties maintained throughout the Middle East and support of discontented ethnic groups are examples. On a third level, the Soviet threat consists of Moscow's ability to exploit purely internal developments. The paper analyzes Soviet policy towards the Persian Gulf, describes Soviet objectives in four key countries and the general problem of intervention from a Soviet perspective, and gives implications for U.S. and allied policy.
Document Details
- Copyright: RAND Corporation
- Availability: Available
- Year: 1981
- Print Format: Paperback
- Paperback Pages: 30
- Paperback Price: $20.00
- Document Number: P-6596
Citation
RAND Style Manual
Chicago Manual of Style
Fukuyama, Francis, The Soviet Threat to the Persian Gulf, RAND Corporation, P-6596, 1981. As of September 24, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P6596.html
Fukuyama, Francis, The Soviet Threat to the Persian Gulf. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1981. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P6596.html. Also available in print form.
This publication is part of the RAND paper series. The paper series was a product of RAND from 1948 to 2003 that captured speeches, memorials, and derivative research, usually prepared on authors' own time and meant to be the scholarly or scientific contribution of individual authors to their professional fields. Papers were less formal than reports and did not require rigorous peer review.
This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.
RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.