Nasser, Mosaed Abdullah (1990) Principles and policies in Saudi Arabian foreign relations with ...

819 Pages·2013·26.88 MB·English

Nasser, Mosaed Abdullah (1990) Principles and policies in Saudi
Arabian foreign relations with special reference to the Superpowers and
major Arab neighbours.

PhD thesis

http://theses.gla.ac.uk/4515/

Copyright and moral rights for this thesis are retained by the author

A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or
study, without prior permission or charge

This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first
obtaining permission in writing from the Author

The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any
format or medium without the formal permission of the Author

When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the
author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given

Glasgow Theses Service
http://theses.gla.ac.uk/
[email protected]
PRINCIPLES AND POLICIES IN SAUDI ARABIAN FOREIGN RELATIONS
WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE SUPERPOWERS
AND MAJOR ARAB NEIGHBOURS
HOSAED ABDULLAH NASSER
TO MY FATHER
GLASGOW UNIVERSITY
MODERN HISTORY DEPARTMENT
CONTENTS
Introduction 1
Chapter One 8
Political History of Saudi Arabia
Chapter Two 45
Saudi Arabia and the United States
Chapter Three 175
Saudi Arabia and the Soviet Union
Chapter Four 321
Saudi Arabia and Iraq
Chapter Five 387
Saudi Arabia and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen
Chapter Six 436
Saudi Arabia and Egypt
Chapter Seven 549
Saudi Arabia and the Yemen Arab Republic
Chapter Right 636
Saudi Arabia and the Arab League
Conclusion and Recommendations 746
Bibliography
- 1 -
INmOOOCTION
Saudi Arabian foreign policy decisions are made by a small group in
private and with little public discussion or explanation. Open debates
on issues are not encouraged, particularly those that have a direct
relation to the nation's security. No concept of public accountability
exists. Secrecy is stressed to ensure internal security, as well as
stability in the society. However, foreign policy decisions are not made
without considerable thought and time spent in discussing the issues with
those the leaders of government believe can make a contribution to their
understanding of the problems.
The deciSion-making process has the following four characteristics
(1) There is a strong link between domestic and foreign policies because
of the historical legacy of the state. For this reason, decision
making includes members of the royal family and religious
establishment.
(2) Other groups do participate and wield differing degrees of influence
depending on the issue area.
(3) ~fuch bargaining occurs hefore an important decision is announced.
(4) The process is slow, as the leaders are not preDared to meet crisis
- 2 -
situations. For this reason, the leadership usually turns to outside
powers to settle the problem. In addition to the delay in making a
decision, there is also the failure to follow through.
These characteristics are influenced by the increasing complexity of
Saudi Arabia's regional and global environment, and by the growing demand
on the country to playa larger role in global politics.
The methods used by the government result more in a reactive rather than
a pro-active policy. The Saudis are more likely to react to events,
panic in crises, and delay making decisions at the time the decisions
should be made. The consequences of the methods used in making foreign
policy decisions has created a political environment that varies from
country to country, and from situation to situation. Policy decisions
are not consistent. Those concerning Arab Islamic Nations will differ
significantly from those made when the United States or the Soviet Union
is involved. The main goal is to protect the regime, to ensure the
monarchy remains in power, the principles of Islam are supported, and
stability is maintained throughout the Kingdom.
Purpose of the Study
Saudi Arabia is encircled by hostile forces. The Saudis find themselves
at the intersection of a number of strong crosscurrents. This creates
for them a web of involvement with the world that prevents them from
- 3 -
returning to isolation. With the discovery of oil, the Kingdom entered
into a foreign political environment which was not understood, but in
which the Kingdom was expected to play a major role whether or not they
were prepared to do so.
The review identifies the many problems encountered by the government's
inconsistencies, and the consequences of using a reactive rather than a
pro-active foreign policy decision-making process.
The purpose of this study is to review the Saudi Arabian foreign policy,
its strengths and wealcnesses, and make recommendations for improving
foreign policy decision-making to strengthen the Kingdom's position in
the Middle East and the world.
Statement of the Problem
The role of Saudi Arabia as a regional and international power has
changed dramatically over the past few years. From a country whose
interests lay almost exclusively in preserving political stability
domestically and in its immediate border area, Saudi Arabia has developed
into a pmverful influence that extends beyond the Arabian Gulf, into the
entire f.1iddle East, as well as into Africa and Asia.
Saudi Arabia's foreign policy traditionally has been reactive rather than
pro-active which has made foreign policy decisions often ineffective.
- 4 -
The fact of the frame of reference in which decisions are made - that of
keeping the monarchy in power, adherence to Islamic principles, security
of the nation, and stability within the society - has had a very negative
effect on foreign policy decisions.
Foreign policy decisions should be based on strengthening the Kingdom's
role in the }liddle East as well as in international politics. Saudi
Arabia should contribute more than any other nation towards maintaining a
balance of power in the Middle East to maintain peace in the area, and to
playa larger role in global politics not only because of its wealth of
oil reserves, but because of the influence the government can have in the
international marketplace and the development of other Third ,,Jorld
nations.
Importance of the Subject
The history of the Niddle East is filled i.,rith wars, uprisings,
revolutions, and the like. Throughout the history of man there never has
been a century in which men lived in peace. The first step was taken by
King Ahdul Aziz Ibn Saud by unifying the different trihal groups in
Arabia. Since the discovery of oil in the fuddle East, the nations have
been experiencing rapid change. Theorists argue that such changes can
have a destabilizing effect on any nation. In this sense ,ye can ask
whether the stability of the monarchy, as a governmental system, is
diminishing. The most important issue to recognise is the new forces
- 5 -
that have been imposed on these nations since they have been forced into
global politics. It is the view of some that monarchies are not prepared
to deal with these new forces. As a consequence, violence, corruption,
and manipulation are expected to continue to exist in the East.
~liddle
Comparing political systems with that of Saudi Arabia, it can be seen
that others appear to be more stable and even more durable than the Saudi
system. lIDless the monarchy is able to deal with external threats and
changes taking place internally, the future of the Kingdom could be in
jeopardy. It is believed that if foreign policy decisions were made pro
actively rather than reactively, the decisions would strengthen the
nation's position in the East as well as in the world.
~tiddle
Hypotheses
It is the intent of this study to test the following hypotheses
(1) The foreign policy decision-making process of Saudi Arabia is based
on the need to keep the monarchy in power; retention of Islamic
principles; the security of the and stability of the
Y~ngdom,
society.
(2) Foreign policy decisions made within this framework have
necessitated decisions being made on a crisis-to-crisis basis,
forcing policy makers to be reactive rather than pro-active.