Browsing by Author "El Berni, Hazal Muslu"

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Decision-Making Process in Saudi Foreign Policy: Regional Security Perceptions Towards Iran
(Kadir Has Üniversitesi, 2021) El Berni, Hazal Muslu; Bıçakçı, Ahmet Salih
Saudi foreign policy-making is a complicated process which forces the researchers to adopt an integrative analysis considering the multi-factorial characteristics of domestic context, multi referential objects of the process, and various factions of the royal family actors. This thesis aims to interpret the Saudi foreign policy decision-making process towards Iran from the critical constructivism theory perspective, in order to reach an understanding emanating from social, historical and political (re)construction of the events, wars and crises. In order to avoid contextless generalizations and a timeless approach, it asks how possible questions investigating which actors succeed in bringing their perceptions into the process. It argues that the 2006 Israel-Lebanon War was a turning point that revealed the peak level of Iranian foreign policy at the neighbors' domestic contexts, raised the Saudi regional security concerns, and put an incredible strain on the foreign policy-making process of the kingdom. As it conceives the security as a powerful political word, it tries to bring an analysis of the decision-making process operating inside the kingdom based on the mutual reconstruction of the domestic context and regional security perceptions of Saudi Arabia towards Iran. Key words: Saudi foreign policy, critical constructivism, decision-making process, King Abdullah period, foreign policy analysis, regional security, Iran, 2006 Israel-Lebanon war, King Salman period, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
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Rapprochement in Israel-Saudi Foreign Policy: Moving on Tiptoes To a Normalization Process?
(Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2022) Bicakci, Salih; El Berni, Hazal Muslu
The possibility of a Saudi rapprochement with Israel has been continuously influenced by the the domestic barriers within the Saudi community and the Saudi historical narratives on the regional security perceptions of the Saudi decision-makers. After the appointment of Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the Minister of Defense in 2015, King Salman's government adopted a new discourse in domestic and foreign policy built upon a redefined Saudi identity rhetorically distanced from its Islamic neighbours and moved towards a nationalised tone. The unstable nature of the regional security dynamics forces the kingdom to actively reconstruct new security routines based on the emerging regional security dynamics and repositions the alliances. At this juncture, this research aims at understanding the rationality of the rise and fall of the intensity of Saudi foreign policy towards a normalisation process with Israel within the borders of the redefined Saudi national identity and regional threat perceptions.