Revisiting the Saudi Position During the Iran-Iraq War through the Lens of Balance of Threat Theory

Year 2017, Volume: 9 Issue: 1, 118 - 134, 30.06.2017

Mehmet Rakipoğlu

Abstract

Iran-Iraq war was a high intensity conflict between two major powers of the Gulf region that lasted almost nine years, when both countries experienced significant losses including manpower, national economic indicators and intrinsic prestige. Earlier debates on Iran-Iraq war expressed it as an indicator of longer-term fluctuations in the geopolitics of the Gulf region. In fact, this study presents the position of Saudi Arabia during Iraq-Iran war in the light of Stephen Walt’s Balance of Threat theory. This study is followed by the argument that Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) successfully balanced its perceived threat from Iran during Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s through supporting Iraq. Saudi tendency for supporting Iraq sought its concerns behind hostile revolutionary (1979) regime in Iran. Therefore, Iraq was realized as a credible defense shield for other Gulf States for posing a momentous dent to Iranian military power in the ongoing war. So, the authors have harnessed the concept of Balance of Threat theory for estimating the pro-Iraqi stand of Saudi Arabia for its desire to balance the threat coming from Iran.

Keywords

Saudi Arabia, Iraq- Iran war, Balance of threat, Stephen Walt

İran-Irak Savaşı Sırasında Suudi Konumunu Tehdit Dengesi Teorisi Merceğiyle Yeniden Ele Almak

Abstract

İran-Irak savaşı, her iki ülkenin de insan gücü, ulusal ekonomik göstergeler ve gerçek prestij gibi önemli kayıplar yaşadığı, yaklaşık dokuz yıl süren ve Körfez bölgesinin iki büyük gücü arasında yüksek yoğunlukla gerçekleşen bir çatışmaydı. İran-Irak savaşıyla ilgili daha önceki tartışmalar söz konusu savaşı, Körfez bölgesinin jeopolitiğinde uzun vadeli dalgalanmaların bir göstergesi olarak değerlendirdiler. Aslında bu çalışma, Stephen-Walt’un Tehdit Dengesi teorisi ışığında Suudi Arabistan'ın Irak-İran savaşı esnasında aldığı konumunu ortaya koymaktadır. Bu çalışmayı, Suudi Arabistan Krallığı'nın 1980'lerde İran-Irak savaşı sırasında İran'dan algıladığı tehdidi Irak'ı destekleyerek başarılı bir şekilde dengelediği argümanı izlemektedir. Suudi Arabistan'ın Irak'ı destekleme eğiliminde, İran'daki düşman devrimci (1979) rejimin rolü büyük olmuştur. Bu nedenle Irak, devam eden savaşta İran askeri gücüne önemli kayıplar yaşattığı için diğer Körfez Ülkeleri tarafından güvenilir bir savunma kalkanı olarak değerlendirilmiştir. Bu nedenle, yazarlar, İran'dan gelen tehdidi dengeleme arzusuyla Suudi Arabistan'ın Irak yanlısı tutumunu incelemek için Tehdit Dengesi teorisi kavramından yararlanmışlardır.

Keywords

Suudi Arabistan, Irak-İran savaşı, Tehdit dengesi, Stephen Walt

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