http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/girr.2024(VII-III).05
10.31703/girr.2024(VII-III).05
Published : Sep 2024
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Policy Under MBS: Transition from Defensive Realism to Offensive Realism (2016-2023)
This study seeks to elucidate the underlying factors driving Saudi Arabia’s shift from defense realism to offensive realism, focusing on MBS’s authoritarian rule and structural reforms aimed at minimizing bureaucratic hurdles in security and defense decision-making. The research examines the kingdom’s transition from conservative foreign policies to a more activist stance, illustrated by its support for Palestine and its adoption of non-conventional approaches to address emerging challenges. Adopting the John Scott document analysis model and utilizing secondary data, this study delves into the nuances of Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy shift under MBS’s leadership. It examines how his leadership style, combined with Vision 2030 goals and objectives, reflects a post-ideologically motivated transition that seeks to assert power and influence in the Middle East. The research explores the potential implications of this shift on regional security, including the Yemen civil war, balance of power realignment, and Saudi Arabia’s relationships with Western partners.
-
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, The Defense-to-Offense Overhaul, Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, Saudi Regional Geopolitics Saudi Arabian Foreign Policy
-
(1) Waqas Abdullah
Student of (BSIR) Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Central Punjab, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
(2) Mohammad Khatim
M.Phil Scholar Department of Political Science and International Relations, University of Central Punjab, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
(3) Muhammad Irfan Ali
Assistant Professor Department of Political Science and International Relations, University of Central Punjab, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
-
Ahmad. (2023). MBS pledges to stand by Palestine as normalization hopes fade. The Cradle. https://thecradle.co/articles-id/7711
- Al-Rasheed, M. (2023). A most masculine state. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781139015363
- Al-Rasheed, M. (2018). Salman’s Legacy: The Dilemmas of a New Era in Saudi Arabia. Oxford University Press, USA.
- Al Tunisik, S. (2014, November 10). Regional powers in a transforming Middle East. Middle East Politics.
- Ashford, E. (2018). Unbalanced: Rethinking America’s commitment to the Middle East. Diplomatic Chronicles: Insights from the Middle. https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/articles/ashford-ssq-november-2018.pdf
- Beauchamp, Z. (2017, November 6). The purge in Saudi Arabia, explained. Vox World Politics. https://www.vox.com/world/2017/11/6/16613088/saudi-arabia-princes-arrested-mohammed-bin-salman
- Ben, Y. (2024). Saudi Arabia aligns with the PA, sets preconditions for normalization with Israel. Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. https://jcpa.org/saudi-arabia-aligns-with-the-pa-sets-preconditions-for-normalization-with-israel/
- Bernard, H. (2024). Can MBS still remake Saudi Arabia? Foreign Affairs. https://www.foreignaffairs.com/saudi-arabia/can-mbs-still-remake-saudi-arabia
- Chi-Wei, S., & Kou, K. K. (2019). Does geopolitical risk strengthen or depress oil prices and financial liquidity? ScienceDirect. https://www.sciencedirect.com
- Chi-Wei, S., & Kou, K. K. (2019). Does geopolitical risk strengthen or depress oil prices and financial liquidity? ScienceDirect. https://www.sciencedirect.com
- Esber, P. M. (2023, November 28). Changing plans? Saudi regionalism after Gaza. Global Policy.
- Fraught. (2022). Relations: Saudi ambitions and American anger. Middle East Policy.
- Gause III, F. (2018). The foreign policies of Middle East states. Lynne Rienner Publishers.
- Gause, F. G. (2023). What the war in Gaza means for Saudi Arabia. Foreign Affairs.
- Gause, F. G. (2023, December). Saudi Arabia in the new Middle East. Foreign Affairs.
- Hokayem, E. (2022). Fraught relations: Saudi ambitions and American anger. Survival, 64(6), 7–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/00396338.2022.2150422
- Hubbard, B. (2020). The rise to power of Mohammad bin Salman. Tim Duggan Books.
- Jacobs, A. (2023). Understanding Saudi Arabia’s recalibrated foreign policy. Crisis Group. https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/gulf-and-arabian-peninsula/saudi-arabia/understanding-saudi-arabias
- Jamal. (2020). MBS: A visionary leader, crown prince, and prime minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. JSTOR.
- Junyent, J. (2023). Peace for Yemen elusive despite Iran-Saudi deal and Saudi-Houthi talks. Middle East & North Africa. https://www.stimson.org/2023/peace-for-yemen-elusive-despite-iran-saudi-deal-and-saudi-houthi-talks/
- Juul, P. (2021). Toward a more balanced and long-term approach for U.S. policy. CAP.
- Kamal, A. (2015). The Palestine impasse. JSTOR.
- Katulis, B. (2021, December 16). Strategic reengagement in the Middle East. Center for American Progress. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/strategic-reengagement-in-the-middle-east/
- Kenyon, B. F. (2023). Palestine: History, people, conflict, & religion. MISC.
- Kouleas, J. A. (2023, December). Saudi Arabian foreign policy. University of Windsor. https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/major-papers/281/
- Lima, J. A. (2023). Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Policy under MBS: decision unit change and its impacts towards Yemen and Syria. Contexto Internacional, 45(2). https://doi.org/10.1590/s0102-8529.20234502e20220004
- Mabon, S. (2016). Saudi Arabia and Iran: The rivalry and the geopolitical implications. Routledge.
- Mazzetti, M., & Kirkpatrick, D. D. (2016, April 17). Saudi prince’s sudden rise has Middle East allies guessing. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/16/world/rise-of-saudi-prince-shatters-decades-of-royal-tradition.html
- Muslu, H. (2018). Salman’s legacy: The dilemma of a new era in Saudi Arabia. Middle Eastern Studies, 54(5), 791–811.
- Raid, M., Ahmad, N., Bagadeem, S. A., Alzyadat, J., & Alhawal, H. (2024). The non-oil institutional sectors and economic growth in Saudi Arabia. Cogent Economics & Finance, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23322039.2023.2300819
- Rashid. (2018, July 13). Saudi Arabia arrests Islamic scholar over criticism of Bin Salman's ties with Israel. Middle East Monitor. https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180713-saudi-arabia-arrests-islamic-scholar-over-criticism-of-bin-salmans-ties-with-israel/
- Rich, B., & Moore‐Gilbert, K. (2019). From defense to offense: Realist shifts in Saudi foreign policy. Middle East Policy, 26(3), 62–76. https://doi.org/10.1111/mepo.12438
- Salerno-Garthwaite, A. (2023). Saudi Arabia defense spending rebounds. Air Force Technology. https://www.airforce-technology.com/news/saudi-arabia-defence-spending-rebounds/
- Simonelli, G. D. (2023). Saudi Arabia’s balancing game: The Palestinian cause and regional leadership. The International Spectator, 58(1), 83–99.
- Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). (2023). Trends in world military expenditure. SIPRI Fact Sheet. https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2023-04/fs_2304_milex_0.pdf
- Stoddard (2019). Arab-Israeli conflict: Observations on the current scene. JSTOR.
- Zahid, M. (2023). Understanding Saudi Arabia’s recalibrated foreign policy. Crisis Group. https://www.crisisgroup.org/middle-east-north-africa/gulf-and-arabian-peninsula/saudi-arabia/understanding-saudi-arabias
Cite this article
-
APA : Abdullah, W., Khatim, M., & Ali, M. I. (2024). Saudi Arabia's Foreign Policy Under MBS: Transition from Defensive Realism to Offensive Realism (2016-2023). Global International Relations Review, VII(III), 44-59. https://doi.org/10.31703/girr.2024(VII-III).05
-
CHICAGO : Abdullah, Waqas, Mohammad Khatim, and Muhammad Irfan Ali. 2024. "Saudi Arabia's Foreign Policy Under MBS: Transition from Defensive Realism to Offensive Realism (2016-2023)." Global International Relations Review, VII (III): 44-59 doi: 10.31703/girr.2024(VII-III).05
-
HARVARD : ABDULLAH, W., KHATIM, M. & ALI, M. I. 2024. Saudi Arabia's Foreign Policy Under MBS: Transition from Defensive Realism to Offensive Realism (2016-2023). Global International Relations Review, VII, 44-59.
-
MHRA : Abdullah, Waqas, Mohammad Khatim, and Muhammad Irfan Ali. 2024. "Saudi Arabia's Foreign Policy Under MBS: Transition from Defensive Realism to Offensive Realism (2016-2023)." Global International Relations Review, VII: 44-59
-
MLA : Abdullah, Waqas, Mohammad Khatim, and Muhammad Irfan Ali. "Saudi Arabia's Foreign Policy Under MBS: Transition from Defensive Realism to Offensive Realism (2016-2023)." Global International Relations Review, VII.III (2024): 44-59 Print.
-
OXFORD : Abdullah, Waqas, Khatim, Mohammad, and Ali, Muhammad Irfan (2024), "Saudi Arabia's Foreign Policy Under MBS: Transition from Defensive Realism to Offensive Realism (2016-2023)", Global International Relations Review, VII (III), 44-59
-
TURABIAN : Abdullah, Waqas, Mohammad Khatim, and Muhammad Irfan Ali. "Saudi Arabia's Foreign Policy Under MBS: Transition from Defensive Realism to Offensive Realism (2016-2023)." Global International Relations Review VII, no. III (2024): 44-59. https://doi.org/10.31703/girr.2024(VII-III).05