Iranian-Saudi Rivalry since 1979

In the Words of Kings and Clerics

Talal Mohammad

• Editorial: I.B. Tauris
• Año: 2022
• ISBN:
  9780755634743
• Edición: 1
• Categoría: Politics & International Relations
• Categoría: Diplomacy & Treaties

The fraught relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iran is usually attributed to sectarian differences, even by the states' own elites. However, this book shows that in their official speeches, newspaper editorials and Friday sermons, these elites use sectarian and nationalist references and tropes to denigrate each other and promote themselves in the eyes of their respective constituencies in the region. Talal Mohammad, who is fluent in both Arabic and Persian, examines Saudi-Iranian rivalry using discourse analysis of these religious, political and journalistic sources. Tracing what has been produced since 1979 in parallel, he argues for a consistent pattern of mutual misrepresentation, whereby each frames its counterpart as the 'Other' to which a specific political agenda can be justified and advanced. The book covers key events including the Iranian Revolution, the invasion of Kuwait in 1990, the Taliban war, the fall of Saddam, the Arab Spring, the rise of Mohammed bin Salman, and the war on ISIS. While until now Saudi-Iranian rivalry has been understood in primarily sectarian or geopolitical terms, the author argues here that the discursive othering serves as a propagandist function that supports more fundamental political and geopolitical considerations.

Índice

• Cover
• Half-Title Page
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Note on Translation and Transliteration
• Abbreviations
• Chapter 1 Introduction: Rivalry, Othering, and the Necessary Enemy
• Part 1
• Chapter 2 Revolution, War, and the Formation of Iranian Discourses of Self and Other
• Chapter 3 Siege, Protests, and the Hajj: Saudi Arabia from Khalid to Fahd
• Part 2
• Chapter 4 Calm After the Storm: Saudi–Iranian Détente
• Chapter 5 Building Bridges: from Détente to Rapprochement
• Chapter 6 The Khatami Presidency and the OIC: From Confidence Building to Islamic Unity and Cooperation
• Part 3
• Chapter 7 Ahmadinejad’s Victory and Abdullah’s Throne: The Beginning of the End for Rapprochement
• Chapter 8 The Impact of the Hezbollah–Israel War on Saudi–Iranian Representations
• Chapter 9 The Gaza War’s Impact on Iranian and Saudi discourses
• Part 4
• Chapter 10 The Arab World Rises: Arab Spring or Islamic Awakening?
• Chapter 11 The Arab Spring and Syria as the Heart of the Axis of Resistance
• Chapter 12 Iran Goes Nuclear and the Fight to Save Islam
• Part 5
• Chapter 13 Yemen: A New Saudi Monarch and a Proxy War
• Chapter 14 A Cold War Turns Hot: The Trump Presidency and Mohammad bin Salman
• Chapter 15 Maximum Pressure: Terrorist Organizations, Tanker Wars, and Assassinations
• Chapter 16 Conclusion
• Epilogue
• Glossary
• References
• Index
• Copyright