Moscow: Institute of Africa of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2014, 217 p.

The study of various aspects of Russian-Tunisian relations as part of Russia's relations with Arab countries has been conducted since the emergence of Russian Oriental studies. Tunisian themes are represented in the historiography of both the pre-revolutionary and Soviet periods mainly by articles published in scientific journals. In such key works for Russian "Tunisian studies" as N. A. Ivanov's" The Crisis of the French Protectorate in Tunisia "or M. F. Vidyasova's recently published monumental study" Jihad without War. Tunisian modernization experience and political legacy of Habib Bourguiba" the topic of Russian / Soviet-Tunisian relations occupies a limited and non-independent place. Thus, the history of Russian-Tunisian relations has not been directly reflected in Russian/Soviet historiography until now. N. A. Zherlitsyna's monograph closes this gap.

The periodization proposed by the author, which includes two major historical stages - pre-revolutionary and Soviet-seems logical and convincing. Considering the history of bilateral relations in such a broad time frame - the lower chronological boundary is determined by 1780, this date is the first document on the history of Russian-Tunisian relations stored in the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire; the upper boundary is 1991, the last year of the USSR's existence-allows us to create a complete picture of their formation and development, dynamics and main directions of interaction.

For the first time in Russian historical science, the monograph summarizes a large array of sources on the history of Russian-Tunisian relations, most of which were not previously used by domestic researchers. The book is based on documents on the history of Russian-Tunisian relations from two archives: the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire (AVPRI of the Russian Foreign Ministry) and the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation (AVPRF of the Russian Foreign Ministry), selected and first introduced into scientific circulation by the author in two previously published documentary collections. The author's comprehensive analysis of archival documents for a vast historical period, as well as the involvement of a wide range of other sources - press materials, memoirs, and journalism-deserves high praise. Important historical sources used in the work on the history of Russian-Tunisian relations in the pre-revolutionary period are memoirs, for example, notes of the Tunisian Prime Minister in 1873-1877 Khair ad-Din and memoirs of the Russian diplomat N. P. Ignatiev. Russian / Soviet periodicals of the XIX-XX centuries contain valuable historical material on the issue under consideration. To expand the historical picture outlined in the archive's documents, to show the non-political aspects of Russians ' interest in Tunisia, and to analyze the mutual influence exerted by countries in the cultural sphere, it helps to attract the works of contemporaries of the events described, such as notes and essays by travelers, scientists, writers, and artists. The picture of the development of Russian-Tunisian relations would be incomplete without studying the Tunisian point of view on the history of relations between the two countries. In this respect, the materials of the Tunisian and French press, memoirs of Soviet and Tunisian statesmen, and interviews of Tunisian ambassadors to the USSR found by the author are of great value.

The structure of the monograph is optimal. It consists of four chapters, and the arrangement of the material inside each of them reflects the chronological sequence. Thematic sections allow you to identify the main directions in which the development of bilateral relations took place, and follow their evolution.

In the first chapter devoted to relations between the Russian Empire and the Tunisian Regency in 1780-1917, N. A. Zherlitsyna rightly points out that the prerequisites for establishing relations between the Russian Empire and the Tunisian Regency at the end of the XVIII century. They served the needs of the developing Russian trade, which needed new seaports and trade routes in the Mediterranean. Speaking about the reasons that prompted the Russian authorities to establish direct relations at the level of the consulate with the Bey Tunis, the author identifies two main ones: concern for the interests of Russian trade and the patronage that the Russian Empire has long provided to the Orthodox Greek community of Tunis. N. A. Zherlitsyna proves that since the 1830s, when the Tunisian Regency gradually became the object of the struggle of the European powers, the political contacts of Russia and Tunisia depended on the level of relations between the participating powers in resolving the Eastern issue. The fundamental point in determining Russia's political positions on the Tunisian issue was the pan-European factor. They were based on allied Russian-French ties, taking into account the confrontation between military and political blocs in Europe.

In this pre-revolutionary part of the history of Russian-Tunisian relations, it is of great interest to examine the Russian-Tunisian maritime trade in the XVIII-XIX centuries and the influence of barbarian piracy on it, the patronage that Russia provided to the Orthodox Greek community of Tunis, and the disastrous consequences of Tunisian participation in the Russo-Turkish wars of the XVIII-XIX centuries.

Analyzing the bilateral contacts of the first decades of the 20th century, when direct ties between Tunisia, the colonial fiefdom of France, and the Soviet Union, which led the global anti-imperialist struggle, were difficult, N. A. Zherlitsyna shows that this time has not been erased from the history of Russian-Tunisian relations. The second chapter of the monograph is devoted to this period of bilateral relations. The October Revolution of 1917 seriously affected the formation of the Tunisian national liberation movement and created new and more favorable conditions for the liberation struggle of the colonized peoples. Following the pages of the Soviet press and publicism, the changes in the attitude of the Soviet Union towards the largest and most influential force of the Tunisian national liberation movement, the Dustour party, from sympathy in the mid-1920s to alienation and coldness by the end of the 1930s, the author concludes that the reason for this was the growing ideological contradictions.

An important event in bilateral relations in the first half of the 20th century was the presence in the Tunisian protectorate of a significant Russian community, which emerged as a result of the departure of the Russian squadron from the Crimea to Tunisian Bizerte during the Civil War. For several decades, the activities of Russian emigrants in various fields of economy, culture and art have made a significant contribution to the development of Tunisia. As N. A. Zherlitsyna rightly points out, it was during these years that the foundations of mutual perception of Russians and Tunisians, sympathy and respect for each other were laid.

The growth of mutual sympathy between the Soviet and Tunisian people was also facilitated by the events of the early 1950s, when the Soviet Union's support for Tunisia's struggle for national independence at the UN undoubtedly contributed to the achievement of this goal.

In the third chapter, the author examines in detail the Soviet-Tunisian political relations of the second half of the 20th century, and focuses on the positive experience of the coexistence of states with different social systems and the impact that the Cold War had on interstate relations. While developing successfully in the economic, commercial, and cultural spheres, Soviet-Tunisian cooperation was at the same time limited by the ideological positions of the Soviet and Tunisian leaders, as they adhered to different social ideologies. The USSR tried to change the balance of power in the world in favor of the socialist choice - the "only right way" and supported the newly liberated countries with anti-imperialist potential. Tunisian foreign policy, when declaring "neutrality", followed the policy of the Western powers, which could not but irritate the Soviet government. The ban of the Tunisian Communist Party in 1963 was the first crisis in relations between the two countries. It was from this time that Moscow began to talk about the" anti-communist orientation " of the X regime. Bourguiba. Convincing is the opinion of N. A. Zherlitsyna that

The biggest diplomatic crisis in the history of bilateral relations in 1973 was caused by the collapse of the socialist experiment in Tunis in 1969 and the authorities ' conversion to the policy of economic liberalism.

The analysis of the influence of the two countries ' foreign policy preferences on bilateral relations presented in the monograph is of great interest. If the central Arab-Israeli conflict in the Middle East - the Soviet and Tunisian sides held similar positions, then the situation was more complicated with regard to inter-Arab problems. Soviet policy in the region was more focused on Nasser's ally Egypt, which served as a constant source of irritation in relations with Tunisia. Bourguiba accused Nasser of "trying to establish hegemony over other Arab countries", and the Soviet Union of considering Egypt "as a port-password, representative and representative of the opinion of other Arab countries..." (pp. 143-144). In addition, as a country with an important strategic position in the Mediterranean, Tunisia was drawn into the "cold war", the country's authorities did not always manage to follow the declared neutralist course, which led to an aggravation of bilateral relations.

The fourth chapter of the monograph is devoted to economic cooperation and cultural relations between the Soviet Union and the Tunisian Republic. Although Soviet economic aid and cultural cooperation with young independent states, such as Tunisia in the second half of the twentieth century, were ideologically motivated, it was these areas of Soviet foreign policy that brought the most significant results. The main areas of economic and technical cooperation between the USSR and Tunisia were hydrotechnical construction and education. The facilities built in Tunis with the assistance of the USSR played an important role in increasing agricultural production and in training national engineering and technical personnel. Cooperation in the field of Tunisian healthcare development was also a significant area, with Soviet doctors being sent to work in Tunisian state hospitals and hospitals under contracts. The selfless work of Soviet doctors in the Tunisian Republic made a great contribution to the development of Soviet-Tunisian relations and contributed to the improvement of mutual understanding between peoples. The accumulated potential of cooperation, the tradition of friendship and the atmosphere of trust in bilateral relations, the legacy of the Soviet era, gives modern Russia a chance to return to the region as an economic partner and political ally. It is no coincidence that N. A. Zherlitsyna emphasizes that ENIT, the Tunisian National Technical Institute, built with the assistance of the USSR, is a symbol of Russian-Tunisian cooperation.

A detailed study of the history of relations between the two countries over a two-hundred-year period makes it possible to look with optimism at the future of Russian-Tunisian relations in the XXI century. This monograph makes a great contribution to modern Russian Arabic studies and contributes to the strengthening of Russian-Tunisian friendly ties.

list of literature

Vidyasova M. F. Jihad without war. Tunisian experience of modernization and the political legacy of Habib Bourguiba. Vol. 1-2. Kn. 1-2. Moscow: ISAA MSU, 2005-2012.

Ivanov N. A. Crisis of the French protectorate in Tunisia. Moscow: Nauka Publ., 1971.

Russia and Tunisia. From the history of relationships. 1780-1917. Archivnye dokumenty i testified sovremennikov [Archival documents and testimonies of contemporaries].

The Soviet Union and Tunisia. From the history of relationships. 1917-1991. Archivnye dokumenty i testified sovremennikov [Archival documents and testimonies of contemporaries].

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