The Effects of Regional Security Environment on Saudi's Foreign Policy (2011-2015)

By the transformation of political order and the balance of powers in the Middle East and North Africa after the fall of authoritarian regimes in 2011, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia faced with increasing challenges and threats in domestic and foreign dimensions which accompanied with a contradiction in its approach to Arab Spring waves. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the security environment of West Asia and North Africa regions after the Arabian Spring developments on the perception of foreign policy decision-makers in Saudi Arabia. The present paper uses a descriptive-analytical method and utilizes the neoclassical realism theory to answer this question that what factors have played an important role in Saudi Arabia's contradictory foreign policy toward the Arab Spring and what was Saudi reaction to these developments? The hypothesis of this study is that after the developments in the Arabian Spring, the increasing of Iran's power and influence, the power of the Ekhvan-al-moslemin, regional rivalry with Qatar, the growth of terrorist groups and the spread of domestic dissent have played an important role in shaping the foreign policy of Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabia has responded to these developments due to economic, religious and military capabilities.