Study On The Diplomatic Relations Between Saudi Arabia And Britain (1927-1932)

As the longest exterior force in the Middle East since modern times,Britain has played an important role on the historical process of the Middle East,as has Saudi Arabia.Saudi Arabia and Britain had earlier historical contacts,but Saudi-British relations remained frosty for a long time until the outbreak of World War I.Saudi-British diplomatic relations was established through The Treaty of Darin in 1915 and maintained during World War I.After that,with the dramatic changes of the situation in the Middle East,Britain's regional interests and strategies have changed accordingly.Saudi-British relations in this period mainly revolved around the expansion process of House of Saud and its relations with neighboring countries.1927-1932 was an important period for Saudi Arabia to consolidate its regime and to develop its relations with Britain.The signing of The Treaty of Jeddah marked that Saudi Arabia has formally stepped into the stage of regime consolidation from the stage of territorial expansion.The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded in 1932,marking the basic completion of the process of regime consolidation.During this period,the political crisis represented by the Ikhwan rebellion and the security issues represented by the border tribal rebellion constituted the biggest challenge for I bn Saud to consolidate regime.At the same time,Britain,the main external force in the Arabian Peninsula and its surrounding areas at that time,was also facing a new regional situation:on the one hand,its regional traditional interests were maintained under the framework of institutionalization and legalization;on the other hand,its regional interests were increasingly challenged by new regional factors and other external forces.Based on this,Saudi-British relations mainly focused on the political crisis and security issues in Saudi Arabia.Considering its regional interests and strategies,Britain adopted corresponding strategies against the Ikhwan rebellion,the Ibn Rifada rebellion in the north of Hijazi and the Idrisi rebellion in the Asir region.Britain's policies had a direct impact on bilateral relations.Meanwhile,the resolution of these crisis and the changes in Saudi Arabia's internal and foreign affairs also had an profound impact on Saudi-British relations.During this period,Saudi-British relations around the political crisis and security issues in Saudi Arabia developed relatively well.Although there were differences and conflicts,cooperation was the main theme.And the bilateral relations are mainly characterized by complexity,indirectness,marginality and so on.This is a combination of many factors.The domestic environment of Saudi Arabia and the decision-making mechanism of Britain are the decisive factors.The former prescribes the main content of bilateral relations,while the latter dominates the development direction of bilateral relations.Regional factors,which connect Saudi Arabia's surrounding environment with Britain's interests in the Middle East,have become an important link in the Saudi-British relations.The great power factors have always been a potential factor restricting the development of the Saudi-British relations.This paper intends to make an in-depth study of Saudi-British relations during 1927-1932 by empirical research method.Firstly,analyzes horizontally the regional background of the development of Saudi-British relations,and researches vertically the historical context of Saudi-British relations.Secondly,centres on the problems,and conducts a monographic study of Saudi-British relations around the crisis.Finally,analyzes systematically the influence factors of Saudi-British relations,and summarizes the characteristics of the relations.I hope to draw objective conclusions and realistic enlightenment.