Explaining the Factors Influencing Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Policy in West Asia (2011–2023)

Abstract

Southwest Asia is one of the most significant and strategically important regions in the international system and has experienced numerous challenges and crises in recent decades. Saudi Arabia is regarded as one of the most important actors in this strategic region. The country has played a prominent role in the Middle East following the extensive developments associated with the Islamic Awakening. Over the past several decades, Saudi Arabia, as a major Middle Eastern actor, has been known for adopting a conservative approach to foreign policy and has generally been characterized as a status quo-oriented actor and a staunch opponent of change. This study employs a descriptive–analytical approach and library-based research method, using note-taking as a data-collection technique to examine relevant sources. Drawing on constructivist theory, it seeks to investigate the factors influencing Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy in West Asia from 2011 to 2023. Accordingly, the following research question is posed: What factors have influenced Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy in West Asia? In response to this question, the following hypothesis is proposed: Wahhabism and support for terrorist groups constitute influential factors shaping Saudi Arabia’s regional policy in West Asia. The findings indicate that Saudi Arabia is among the identity-based and ideologically oriented political systems in the region, and that these ideological orientations have exerted a substantial influence on all dimensions of its political system, including its foreign policy. The country’s foreign policy is founded on two principal pillars: first, leadership of the Islamic world; and second, alliance, coordination, and alignment with the West and the United States. Furthermore, over the past several decades, Saudi Arabia has been identified as a major source of support for and expansion of takfiri groups across the Islamic world, particularly in the Arab world.