Middle Eastern states as mediators in crisis management in modern diplomacy

The article attempts to examine the diplomatic aspects of the evolution of the role of Middle Eastern states as mediators in crisis response at the regional and global levels. Initially, the countries of the region mediated in resolving intra-regional conflicts. In the 2010s, mediation function was often performed by the UAE, as well as Turkey and Qatar. The peculiarity of the tactics chosen by these countries consists in the active use of instruments of ‘second track diplomacy’. By the end of the 2010s, Middle Eastern countries began to act not only as regional but also as global mediators. This was facilitated by two key factors: the intensification of ‘congress diplomacy’ in the region and the consequences of the Ukrainian crisis entering its acute phase in 2022. The holding of large-scale events provides an opportunity to organise private meetings and negotiations, which becomes especially important due to the need to create conditions for discrete discussions of sensitive issues without attracting media attention. After February 2022, there was a sharp increase in the mediation activity of Middle Eastern countries in extra-regional affairs, primarily related to various aspects of the Ukrainian crisis, caused by the refusal of traditionally neutral European states from an equidistant position in international relations. Middle Eastern states acted as mediators in humanitarian initiatives and provided platforms for negotiations. ‘Specialisation’ in certain types of mediation (exchange of prisoners, providing territory for technical consultations, etc.) allows states to occupy a certain niche and raise their status in the global world-system.