Bilateral relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia: Implications for Regional Stability in the Middle East and North Africa
The Middle East's geopolitical terrain has historically been marked by tensions and conflicts, with the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iran being one of the most consequential factors. The global powers, particularly the US and China, should mediate the potential rapprochement between these regional powers. A study of the US and China's potential role as facilitators in the Iran-Saudi Arabian reconciliation reveals a complicated web of geopolitical, strategic, and economic variables. The changing global power structure and the possible alteration of regional dynamics are both significant. The paper delves into the changing relationships between Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Turkey in Northeast Africa. It explores the historical connections,recent developments, and each country's motivations in the region. Explaining the future course of Middle Eastern politics and the larger field of international relations requires understanding the subtleties of the policies formulated by the US, China, Saudi Arabia, and Iran.
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Middle East, North Africa, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Regional Stability.
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(1) Muhammad Tehsin
Assistant Professor, Department of Defense and Strategic Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Conflict in Yemen: Implications for Iran-Saudi Arabia Relations
In contemporary times, when the world is shifting from unipolarity to multipolarity, regional powers seek to gain influence over each other. Yemen's Houthi group is an ally of Iran. Saudi Arabia is involved in countering this alliance by trying to restrain Iran's growing regional outreach. Thus, Saudi involvement aims to maintain its clout and suppress the Iranian role. The conflict in Yemen escalates in an ethnosectarian garb. However, Iran and Saudi Arabia’s concern in the Yemen conflict is based on geopolitical and governmental factors. This competition between the two Middle Eastern protagonists to exercise exclusive control in the region contains serious implications for security and stability.
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Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sectarian, Ethnic, Conflict
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(1) Muhammad Tehsin
Assistant Professor, Department of Defense and Strategic Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Iran-Saudi Relations: From Rivalry to Nowhere
Iran and Saudi Arabia are the two main powers of the Middle East. Since Islamic revolution (1979) the competition for power, security and regional dominance has resulted in proxy wars in the region, especially, Bahrain, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Saudi and Iranian rivalry revolves around some key issues such as; their contradictory ideologies (Sunni vs Shiite) PanArab issues like Palestine issue, Saudi inclination towards West, their contradictory policies about energy and desire to become dominant power of entire region. Iran's wants regional hegemony, rolling back US influence in the Middle East, empowerment of Shiite in the Middle East through sectarianism. Sectarianism has always been a major focus in the Persian Gulf and beyond for the Iranian regional policy formulation. Peace and stability in Middle East would not be possible till Riyadh and Tehran end rivalry.
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Iran, Saudi Arabia, Regional Dominance, Sectarianism, Proxy Wars, Ideology
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(1) Fozia
PhD Scholar, Department of International Relations, National Defence University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
(2) Lubna Abid Ali
HOD, Department of International Relations, National Defence University, Islamabad, Pakistan.