The Reasons and Consequences of Militarism in Saudi Arabia's Foreign and Domestic Policy

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Corresponding Author: Assistant Professor of International Relations, Shiraz University

2 Graduate of Regional Studies

Abstract

Arabia's military purchases in the recent decade have invariably been one of the most controversial debates in regional and security studies. This article seeks to explore the reasons as well as consequences of militarism in Arabia. It also poses these questions: "What are the most important reasons for Arabia's militarism in (2011-2019)?" and "What consequences has it had on this country's political economy?". Using analytical-descriptive method and with the approach of political economy of militarism, the present article holds that the reasons and consequences of Arabia's militarism at this period of time has been severely under the influence of regional and domestic parameters, and had consequences for both these domains.
The findings of the research show that establishing a defense shield against regional and transregional powers, countering Iran's increasing power after JCPOA, and finally playing a role in the regional equations have contributed to the reasons for countering domestic unrests  
This militarism has had some consequences both internally and regionally. At the internal level, one can refer to the increases in social disorders and problems, economic problems, and the military presence in the political regime's system. At the regional level, it has also had consequences including the strengthened security dilemma, expanded arms race, undermined regional trade cooperation, and finally enhanced convergence in the region.

Keywords

References

الجدیع، عبدالرحمن محمد (1420)، السیاسیهالخارجیهالسعودیه،الثوابت والممارسه،الریاض: مطابعالفرزدقالتجاریه.
الجهنی، عبیدبن‌مسعود (1428)، جهودالملکعبدالعزیزفیاکتشاف البترولوأثرهعلىالتنمیهالشامله، المملکه العربیه السعودیه فی مائه عام، داره الملک عبدالعزیز، الریاض :التنمیه والبیئه، المجلد14.
عثمان، زین‌العابدین (1429)، استراتیجیه جدیده للسعودیه لحمایه مناطقها الجنوبیه الأبعاد والدواف، عین الحقیق.
وکالة أنباء «دویچه وله» (2015)، آثار الحرب علی الیمن فی اقتصاد السعودیة، (تاریخ الزیاره؛12/3/1397)، استرجع فی:                                                                          www.dw.com/ar//a-18468203
وکالة أنباء اسرائیل بالعربیه، هیلاری کلینتون تعترف بدعم قطر والسعودیة لـتنظیم الدولة الإسلامیة الإرهابی، (تاریخ الزیاره؛12/3/1397)، استرجع فی:                                                   https://goo.gl/LmhRaJ
قاعده «الدیوانیة» (2016)، 574 میلیارد ریال خسائر الحکومة السعودیة خلال عام واحد لو استمر سعر النفط، (تاریخ الزیاره؛ 12/3/1397)، استرجع فی:
http://gulf.argaam.com/comm ent/repliestostatuscomment/commentid/165645
Arast, Paul, (2005), Saudi Arabia in the balance,Political Economy, Society,foreign Affairs, NY university press. (Observed:10/11/2017), Available at address: https://www.amazon.com/SAUDI-ARABIA-BALANCE-POLITICAL-ECONOMY/dp/0814707173
- Alterman, Jon, (2016), “Roundtable: The Islamic State Challenges Saudi Arabia”, Washington:Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), 4p, (Observed:13/11/2017), Available at address: https://www.csis.org/events/ roundtable-islamic-state-challenges-saudi-arabia
Alterman, Jon, (2017) ,"Arrests in Saudi Arabia: Causes and Implications",Washington:Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), (Observed:10/11/2017), Available at address: https://www.csis.org/analysis/ arrests-saudi-arabia-causes-and implications.
Arts. Paul, (2009),”Political Economical and Development Initiatives”,The Kingdom of Saudi Embasy net,nov, (Observed:11/2/2018), accessible at: https://www.saudiembassy.net/archive/
Baker, Russ, (2011),The Saudi Arab Spring Nobody Noticed,20p, (Observed:12/11/2017), Available at address: https://whowhatwhy.org/ 2011/12/07/the-saudi-arab-spring-nobody-noticed/.
Bradley, John, R.(2005),Saudi arabia Exposed,inside a kindom in crisis,U.S.A, palgrave macmillan, (Observed:20/12/2017), Available at address: https://www.amazon.com/Saudi-Arabia-Exposed-Inside-Kingdom/dp/1403964335
Cockcroft, Jammes, (1991), Last Rites fir Reformist Model in latin America,Routledg.
Cordesman, Anthony, (2017), “President Trump's Trip to Saudi Arabia”, Washington:Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS),15p, (Observed:20/11/2017), Available at address: https://www.csis.org/analysis/ president-trumps-trip-saudi-arabia
Cordesman, Anthony, Al-Rodhan, Khalid (2006), The Gulf Military Forces in an Era of AsymmetricWar Saudi Arabia,CSIS: Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington,DC. Available at address: https:// www.csis.org/burke
Cordesman, Antony, (2015),“America, Saudi Arabia, and the Strategic Importance of Yemen”, Washington:Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS),12p, (Observed:21/11/2017), Available at address: https://www.csis.org/analysis/ america-saudi-arabia-and-strategic-importance-yemen.
Cordesman,Antony, (2017),”Saudi Arabia and Gulf Security”, Washington:Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS),4p, (Observed:21/11/2017), Available at the following address: https://www.csis.org/analysis/saudi-arabia-and-gulf-security.
Davis, Ian, Dan Smith and Pieter D. Wezeman, (2016),”Armed conflict and instability in the Middle East and North Africa”, SIPRI, Fact Sheet, (Observed:12/1/2018), address: https://www.sipri.org/node/4282
Faruqui, Ahmad & Schofield (2002) “Pakistan: Political Economy of Militarism”, Conflict, Security and Development, Vol.2, No.1, pp.5-23.
Gelb, Alan, (2002),The Political Economy of Fical,Policy and Economic Management in oil Exporting, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper2899, (Observed:13/112/2017), Available address: https://elibrary.worldbank.org/ doi/abs/10.1596/1813-9450-2899.
Hosein zadeh, Ismaeil (2006) Political Economy of U.S Militarism, Palgrave.
https://www.sipri.org/Conventional-strategic-military-capabilities-in-the-Middle-East
Khashan, Hilal, (2017),Saudi Arabias Flawed “Vision 2030”,Middle East Quarterly Press.
Kinninmont, Jane, (2016), Saudi Foreign Policy: A State of Flux, Stanford University:The Caravan, 5p, (Observed:23/11/2017), Available at address: https://www.hoover.org/research/saudi-foreign-policy-state-flu
Malsin, Jared. (2017). The Big Problem with President Trump's Record Arms Deal with Saudi Arabia, Time Press, 22 May 2017.
Mcdwall, Angus, (2016), “Saudi Arabia expands its anti-Iran strategy beyond the Middle East”, (Observed:27/11/2017), Available at address: http://in.reuters.com/ article/saudi-security-diplomacy-iran-idINKCN0YR093
Meijer, Hugo, (2017),Strategic Implications of Donald Trump’s Election, Researcher United States and Transatlantic Relations.
Nolan, leigh, (may 2011),”Managing Reform? Saudi Arabia and the Kings Dilemma”Brookings Dohe Center Policy Briefing.
Perlo-Freeman, Sam,  Aude Fleuran and Pieter D. Wezeman,(2016),“Trends in world military expenditure2015”, SIPRI, Fact Sheet, 8p,(Observed:13/2/2018), Available at address: https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/.../EMBARGO%20FS1604%20Milex%202015.pdf
Rogin, Josh, (May 2017),”Trump to unveil plans for an ‘Arab NATO’ in Saudi Arabia”,Washington Post (Wp Company llc), (Observed:21/12/2017), Available at address: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/josh-rogin/wp/2017/05/17/ trump-to-unveil-plans-for-an-arab-nato-in-saudi-arabia/?utm_term=.8495a238d595
Rosh, R, (1988), Third Word Militarization: Security Webs and the Staets they Ensnare, Journal of Conflict Resolution, vol.32,No4,pp.698-671.
Schwartz, H. Andrew ,(2016), “Gulf Roundtable: Saudi Arabia's Challenges”,  Washington:Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS),5p, (Observed:22/12/2017),   Available at address:https://www.csis.org/events/gulf-roundtable-saudi-arabias-challenges.
SIPRI, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI2017), Trends in International Arms Transfers, yearbook, (Observed:23/2/2018), Available at:
SIPRI, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute(SIPRI2018), Arms Transfers Databas, (Observed:25/2/2018), Available at:  www.sipri.org/databases/armstransfers/sources-and-methods
SIPRI,Yearbook, (2005), Armament, Disarmament, and international security.Oxford university prees, (Observed:21/1/2018), accessible at: https://www.sipri.org/ yearbook/2005
Snyder, Jack. (2004), One World Rival Theories, Foreign Policy, pp. 53-62.
Solingen, Etel, (2007), Nucler Logics:Contrasting Paths in Esat asia and the Middle East,Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Takeyh, Ray, (2015), The New Saudi Foreign Policy, Council Foreign Relations(CFR), 9p, (Observed:23/12/2017), Available at address:https://www.cfr.org/expert-brief/new-saudi-foreign-policy.
Ulrike Freitag, (2012),Saudi arabia:Buying Stsbility,in:protest,revolt and regime change in the arab world:Actors,chllenges,Implications and policy options, by muriel assebury,berlin:stiftung wissenschaft und politik.
Wezeman, Pieter (March 2018), “Trends In International Arms Transfers”,12p: SIPRI, Fact Sheet, (Observed:10/12/2017), Available at address: http://books.sipri.org/files/FS/SIPR-at2017-0.pdf. Dune, Paul and Perlo-Freeman, Sam (2001), The Demand for Military spending in Developing Countries, Middlesex: center for Applied research in economics.
Wezeman, Pieter, (2011),“Conventional strategic military capabilities in the Middle East”, SIPRI, Fact Sheet, 15p, (Observed:10/1/2018), address:
Defense Policy
Volume 29, Issue 111 - Serial Number 111
Summer Quarterly
December 2020
Pages 131-166

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 26 April 2021
  • Accept Date: 26 April 2021

Share

How to cite

Statistics