The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in world politics: Oil, Islam and international peace

The existing literature in international relations has shown that the study of international behavior has predominantly been concentrated on the great powers, thus paying little heed to the role of developing countries in world politics. This study set out to rectify this anomaly. It specifically focused on the interactions between oil and Islam and their impact on the role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in world politics. The study has shown how these resources have influenced the kingdom's Middle East policy in particular and her efforts at ensuring international peace in general. Based upon a juxtaposition of realist definition of national interest as power, liberals' assignment of power to cooperation and interdependence and constructivist understanding of power of ideas, the study argued that given an unmatched material capacity and unimpeachable moral capital, a military-wise state like Saudi Arabia can be considered a major power in the international system.;In showing the difference that individuals can make in world politics, the study has assigned a special place to King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz's Peace Initiative, which became the Saudi Peace Initiative and later the Arab Peace Plan and eventually served as one of the sources of ideas for the Road Map, supported by the Quartet---the United States, the European Union, Russia, and the United Nations---and the subsequent United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1397. The study has also paid a particular attention to the King's efforts in achieving the regional consensus in dealing with the long-standing and apparently intractable Arab-Israeli conflict, which in doing so, has placed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia above all other states in the region. The study particularly argued that the unanimous adoption of King Abdullah's Peace Initiative by the Beirut Summit in 2002 was the culmination of success of the long struggle by Saudi Arabia from the time of King Abdulaziz to stabilize the region and achieve peaceful resolution for the Palestinian issue. The study noted that this leadership quality can be utilized in dealing with other regional issues that demand cooperation and collective action. In discussing the kingdom's oil policy, the study pointed out its policy of pragmatism and collective approach to some of the vital issues in international political economy. As a means of linking a country's domestic conditions with its external capabilities, the study also focused on the ongoing economic and political reforms and development in the kingdom. Assessing the nature and rationale behind the reforms, the study has demonstrated the connectedness between domestic conditions and foreign policy.