Both iran and saudi arabia have found sectarian partners to be the most effective tools for projecting power across the region. Iraqi invasion of iran increased saudi concerns over stability in the region, hence their financial support to iraq regardless of the notsowarm relations between baathist iraq and conservative saudi arabia. The escalating proxy war between the majoritysunni muslim kingdom of saudi arabia and iran, the home of shiite islam, is having repercussions across the middle east. First, it was inordinately protracted, lasting longer than either world war, essentially because iran did not want to end it, while iraq could not. Iran, in response, has warned saudi arabia against its hawkishness. They are ratcheting up the war between them in their secondary arenas of conflict, namely syria, lebanon, and yemen. In the meantime, washington must do what it can to manage, rather than resolve, the conflict and shape the regional context in its favor. The saudiiranian rivalry and the future of middle east. In relation to the iran saudi arabia conflict, however, the oic openly backed riyadh, which deepened intersectarian rifts within the oic. Relations between saudi arabia and iran have been rocky for. Shortly after the revolution, iran became mired in a protracted conflict with iraq. The conflict between iran and saudi arabia i s routinely explained away as a sectarian rift, but this paper argues that the rise in sectarian tensions is a consequence, rather than the cause, of the. The new middle east cold war and its affiliates, the emergent islamic state, and other sunni groups are locked in a conflict over what the proper political role of islam should.
Iran and saudi arabia, on the two sides of the sunnishiite fault line, are trying to gain influence in reshaping the middle east. The great saudiiranian proxy game middle east quarterly. Saudiiranian rivalry and the impact on the syrian conflict. Saudi arabia charged iran with an act of war for a missile fired at the saudi capital by the houthis in yemen. The saudi royal family exploits the sectarian conflict in order to perpetuate an image of the enemy and create a. The organization of islamic cooperation oicwhich represents the entirety of the muslim worldhas traditionally observed a strict policy of neutrality, preferring to resort to closeddoor diplomacy regarding disagreements among its member states. The conflict between saudi arabia and iran, while historical and religious in origin, has evolved into a geopolitical competition.
Saudi arabia and iran s rivalry is key to the middle east in 2018 regional chaos is set to continue with no solution in sight to yemen crisis and power struggle over shape of post war. Conflict between saudi arabia and iran is not really about religion, but is rather it is driven by a cold war struggle between iran and saudi arabia. Why is there conflict between saudi arabia and iran. Tehrans traumatising isolation during the iran iraq war, in which most powers, including saudi arabia and america, backed saddam hussein, prompted it to invest in a chain of friendly militia forces and governments in its neighbourhood. Khamenei, translated qutbs works into farsi himself. Competition between iran and saudi arabia has been a staple of regional politics since two momentous events in 1979. Iran conflict the killing of iranian military commander qassem soleimani leaves saudi arabia, a close ally of the u. One map that explains the dangerous saudiiranian conflict. The bodies of iranian soldiers who were killed fighting in the syrian civil war s return to kermanshah airport, 30 august 2016. Prospect of usiran conflict threatens gulf economies. A brief breakdown of the current saudi vs iran conflict. In fact, in past and present, their presence has been a source of conflict. Shiite pilgrims clash with saudi police during the hajj, triggering a stampede and clashes that kill at least four hundred including more than two hundred iranians. Fraihat offers an insiders perspective into the iran saudi conflict along with practical suggestions for deescalation through the lens of conflict resolution.
Its a rivalry thats helped prolong and deepen the strife, as both nations have infused weapons, money and proxy forces into conflicts that have exacerbated sectarian tensions in the region. For its part, saudi arabia, if it seeks to establish a friendly regime in syria, also needs iran. The second installment of the pacific councils summer teleconference series, on the proxy war being waged by iran and saudi arabia in yemen. The two countries have provided varying degrees of support to opposing sides in nearby conflicts, including the. And hold fast by the covenant of allah all together and be not disunited, and remember the favor of allah on you when you were enemies. In recent years, however, iran s covert support for a yemeni faction exacerbated.
One workshop participant explained that the principal sources of. It also wants to assert its position of economic supremacy as a major oil producer, using its policy of keeping oil prices low to drive potential competitors like iran from the market. Iraq, kuwait, bahrain and, to a lesser extent, saudi arabia. A must for anyone seeking to understand the origins and manifestations of the regional cold war between saudi arabia and iran.
The iransaudi arabia conflict and its impact on the. Saudi arabia, a majority sunni muslim country and iran, a majority shia muslim country, have been in major geopolitical conflict which has intensified since the iranian revolution in 2011 and iran s support for syria during the syrian civil war. How can the growing regional rivalry between iran and saudi arabia and their. Escalation in the conflict between iran and saudi arabia. Pdf what is really behind the saudiiranian cold war. This is the case as iran does hold considerable influence on assad and his political and military entourage. Our ideology rejects monarchy and alliance with the nonmuslim governmentsnations that are oppressive or impose their will, policies or culture on usmuslims. Saudi arabia and the yemen conflict 2017 report executive summary. Wsjs niki blasina explains the four main proxy conflicts between the two nations. Iran in 1980 and the gulf monarchies support for iraq during the ensuing eight year war. The breach in diplomatic relations between iran and saudi arabia is a dangerous watershed in an already unstable, war torn region.
Pdf relations between iran and saudi arabia have never been at a desirable level. If left out of the post conflict transition, it could work very hard to. Over the years, these proxy conflicts had been the main arena in which iran and saudi arabia confronted each other indirectly, and the negative impact barely affected the two countries themselves. Mindful of saudi s support to saddam hussein during the iran iraq war as well as the massacre of 400 iranian hajj pilgrims by saudi security forces in 1987, iran, however, sought to formulate a regional security framework in the 1990s that culminated in the signing of a regional security pact with saudi. It is one of the very important concepts in the field of international relations because it can explain conflict and war. After the death of the prophet muhammad, his followers split. Iran and saudi arabia in afghanistan for the religious rivals, afghanistan is another front in the fight for influence. This memo was presented part of a workshop organised by the lse middle east centre looking at the saudi iran rivalry in the region on 7 may 2018. Saudi economist fadhl albouenain said a us iran war would further dampen economic growth in gcc states, just as many of them are attempting to diversify towards a postoil future. In the general perspective of the saudi iranian conflict, iran claims to represent the worlds shiites and saudi arabia claims to represent its sunnis, but the power struggle progresses over the. Iran and saudi arabia are locked in a cold warstyle stand.
The new saudi arabian leaderships aggressive approach to iran is shifting the balance of power across the middle east and is having huge repercussions for the region. Contrasting leadership styles in the saudiiran conflict. Only 6 percent of trade is conducted within the region, guaranteeing perpetual conflict as history teaches that peace relies upon economic interdependency. The iransaudi arabia conflict is often characterized as a religious divide between shia and sunni sects of islam. For the us and other western powers, freedom of navigation in the gulf is essential and any conflict that sought to block the waterway vital. The recent attack on saudi oil tanker, series of drone and missile attacks targeting the arabian military and the kingdom of gulfs direct accusation of iran s involvement in it may trigger a war between the two neighbouring countries iran and saudi arabia. Media caption will saudi arabia go to war with iran. The iran saudi arabia proxy conflict, sometimes also referred to as the iran saudi arabia cold war, middle east cold war or middle east conflict, is the ongoing struggle for influence in the middle east and surrounding regions between the islamic republic of iran and the kingdom of saudi arabia. Yemens undeclared civil war has suddenly exploded into a regionwide crisis that could have farreaching.
Iran attacks a saudi oil tanker and saudi arabia shoots down an iranian jet. Following the lifting of sanctions on iran, the consequences of the economic face off are felt by both nations, and, most importantly, their. Yemen has experienced political turmoil and a climate of lawlessness for decades. Saudi arabia and its allies war in yemen turned from what they believed to be a quick and decisive war to a war that has been ongoing. The saudiiran conflict and pakistan the express tribune. Second, iran and saudi arabia are both acting out of fear of encirclement, just as the us and the soviet union did. Relations between sunnidominated saudi arabia and shiite iran have long been strained, but the two countries broke off diplomatic ties after saudi arabia executed a shiite cleric in the new year. The security dilemma in saudi iranian relations mohamed bin huwaidin1 introduction the concept of security dilemma emerged as early as the 1950s with the writings of john herz, herbert butterfield, and robert jervis. The rupture has its roots in a strategic rivalry that stretches across the middle east, says bernard haykel, middle east expert at princeton university. The kingdom of saudi arabia ksa and the islamic republic of iran are rivals in an. One map that explains the dangerous saudi iranian conflict. The enmity between iran and saudi arabia is a persistent feature of middle eastern geopolitics.
Pdf the saudiiran conflict up close sebastian sons. In the background of these three middle east conflicts is a geopolitical rivalry between shiamajority iran and its sunnimajority neighbor, saudi arabia. Mecca by several hundred zealots led b y a juhayman al otaibi. During the cold war, iran and saudi arabia formed the twin pillars of us foreign. The security dilemma in saudiiranian relations mohamed. Why saudi arabia and iran are bitter rivals bbc news. Iran and saudi arabia are on opposing sides of a more than 1,000year old argument at the heart of islam between sunnis and shia. Iran has a large population and a long history of nationhood, while saudi arabia holds significant oil reserves and is custodian of islams holiest sites before the 1979 iranian revolution, relations between iran and saudi arabia proceeded without major incident. Likewise, the saudis and other gcc states do not wish to place themselves in a position where they are auto matically brought into an escalating political conflict. Armed proxy conflicts in iraq, syria, yemen and lebanon and political uprisings in egypt and bahrain are widely known to have iranian and saudi political and material support.
How saudi arabia and irans rivalry fueled conflicts in. It has many levels but at its root it is our ideology contra their realpolitik. Saudiiranian tensions economic effects and political. The conflict has often been explained as a function of an allegedly eternal sunnishi. Iran s attack on saudi arabia crossed a line, and while the saudis have done terrible things, we must rally the world to their side in this conflict.
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