Abstract
The Soviet Union has had an impact on the politics of the Red Sea region since the 1950s when Moscow forged close ties with Egypt. In the 1960s the USSR sought close relations with Somalia and Sudan also. Although Egypt, Somalia and Sudan expelled Soviet military advisers in the mid-1970s, the Soviet Union still retains a military presence in Ethiopia and the People's Democratic of Yemen. Libya and Syria, which are not Red Sea littorals, also play a role in advancing Soviet goals in the Middle East and Red Sea region as a whole. Moscow's interest in this region has been, and still is, to neutralise the Western military presence in the northwestern part of the Indian Ocean, to acquire military facilities and compete effectively with the United States, to support its local friends in times of need, and to encourage anti-capitalist revolutions. The Soviet presence in this region has been greatly helped by the existence of elements in the region who are willing and ready to work with Moscow.