Saudi Arabia's foreign policy toward the Islamic awakening in the Persian Gulf

The Islamic Awakening has brought to the fore the issue of governance and people’s participation in the decision making process in countries across the Arab world. The Persian Gulf countries, majorly Bahrain and Yemen, also witnessed huge protests. Yemen had to do with a change in guard while Al Khalifas in Bahrain survived the storm with external help. It is not that other countries in the region remained unaffected; Saudi Arabia, Oman as well as Kuwait had to confront either protests or noisy opposition or at least angry voices calling for protest. In this context one can look at Bahrain becoming a battle ground for Saudi-Iranian rivalry. Both the regional heavyweights actively got involved in protection and promotion of their interests and ambitions in the region. Saudi Arabia had a number of tasks at hand with the threatened protests at home and regional instability looming large with problems in Bahrain and Yemen.

Keywords:

Islamic Awakening , Persian Gulf , Saudi Arabia , Iran