The Status of the Soft power in Saudi Arabia's foreign policy towards the Islamic Republic of Iran

Document Type : .

Authors

1 Ayatollah Boroujerdi University - Department of Political Science

2 Department of Political Science - Ayatollah Boroujerdi University

10.30465/cps.2023.42539.3058

Abstract

Saudi Arabia’s soft power sources can be defined at three levels: identity, religion and political values. These resources have played a substantial role in shaping Saudi Arabia's foreign policy toward the Islamic Republic of Iran, as a regional rival of Saudi Arabia. Since Saudi Arabia cannot use hard power against Iran, the use of soft power is considered by its policymakers. What is the status of soft power in Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy toward the Islamic Republic of Iran? The hypothesis of the article is “Saudi Arabia by using sources of soft power (Arabic identity, Wahhabi, tribalism), trying to pursue the containment policy of the Islamic of Iran in the Middle East.” After referring to soft power as a theoretical framework of the article, we assess the sources of soft power of Saudi Arabia. Then, according to the theoretical perspective, we show how Saudi Arabia uses soft power against the Islamic Republic of Iran. This article has been done using a descriptive-analytical method.

Keywords

Main Subjects