Russian economic Nikolai Kondratiev, known for his analysis and theory of business cycles, predicted the global financial crisis back in 1920s. The current situation, according to Kondratiev, is the “winter of economy”, which can last for some 20 years.

The Middle East has always been among the vital interests of the USA. This position was established especially after the World War I, when America, seriously forcing the UK to the background, replaced her in this troubled region, rich in oil. In the Soviet years there was a ding-dong struggle going on between the two world powers for leadership in the Middle East. However, after the collapse of the Soviet empire the struggle tuned into a sluggish clarification of who the stronger is.