Burke's redemptive cycle of rhetoric applied to eight fatwas issued by Saudi Arabia regarding Saudi participation in the first Gulf War

This master's thesis is a rhetorical analysis of eight fatwas issued by the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, intended to legitimate the actions taken by the Saudi Government in regards to the first Persian Gulf War. Using Burke's redemptive cycle of rhetoric, this thesis analyzes the rhetorical constructions of Order, the Secret, and the Kill within the fatwas.;This thesis draws three main conclusions. First, the rhetorical strategy of scapegoating is inevitable in international politics, where security and the economy are prioritized. Second, rhetorical appeals to perfection and order, and the rhetorical strategy of identification, can guide humans to act in ways that they might not have absent rhetoric. And third, while the drive towards Order and perfection is inevitable, the most important task for humanity is attempting to absolve guilt in a manner that minimizes human suffering.