Factors Determining the State Behavior of Saudi Arabia as a Regional Power

Year 2023, Volume: 10 Issue: 6, 2329 - 2356, 23.01.2024

Sibel Bülbül Pehlivan

https://doi.org/10.46868/atdd.2023.596

Abstract

Classical approaches cannot produce conclusions that can be generalized in order to analyze the state behavior of regional power countries such as Saudi Arabia and to understand the real reason behind the alliance relations. The reasons that determine the position of regional powers in the system and originate from their local positions confront them with internal threats rather than external threats. In this case, internal threats take precedence over external threats. Since most of these countries have monarchical state structure, competing allegiencies and rentier state economic features. Therefore, the security of the regime is more important than the security of the state and the people in these countries. This always causes an internal threat to the regime in Saudi Arabia. The local characteristics of regional powers necessitate them to deal with their internal threats before their external threats. Thus, a regional power like Saudi Arabia combats the threat, primarily by allying with the foreign power interrelated with its internal threat or by improving relations, it balances and sometimes suppresses the internal threat with an external threat and then it can focus on the real threat. To explain this form of balancing, the “omni-balancing” strategy has been used and the systemic and local characteristics of Saudi Arabia has been emphasized.

Keywords

Saudi Arabia, regional power, state behavior, internal threat, omni-balancing

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