Dynamics of Iranian-Saudi Relations in the Persian Gulf Regional Security Complex (1920-1979) (original) (raw)

dissertation committee, guiding me throughout the way, keeping me motivated during this draining process, and helping me thrive both academically and personally. My special gratitude goes to my dissertation chair, Dr. Mesbahi for his patient mentorship, enthusiastic support, and compassionate care. Words cannot convey how blessed I feel to have had the opportunity to work with a mentor that is admittedly a father figure to me. I would not exaggerate if I said you made me a better person. I will be eternally grateful. Also, I would like to thank all of our administrative staff at the Department of Politics and International Relations, specifically Martha Rodriguez, Maria Gil, and Maria Wilkinson-Diaz for their unwavering support during my career. I want to specially thank Maria Wilkinson-Diaz who on several occasions helped me put out fires along the way. You never hesitated to go above and beyond to help me personally and professionally. I look forward to years of friendship with you. Ultimately, I want to humbly extend my sincerest appreciation to my parents, without whose sacrifice on many levels, I would not be here. You always guided me with your wise counsel and helped me overcome the hurdles along the way. You always trusted me and my choices, supported me unconditionally, and selflessly dedicated all you could to my success. I will be forever indebted. I owe a great debt of gratitude to my wife, Kimberly, for patiently bearing with all the difficulties of this whole process, for vi being understanding, loving and supportive. You were a caring companion and true cheerleader. You strongly supported my passion and never let me down. There are much brighter days ahead of us. I look forward to them. vii This dissertation is an exploration of the dynamics of Iranian-Saudi relations from the earliest days of their encounter in the 1920s through 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran. This is a period in the relations of the two states that has rarely been the subject of intellectual inquiry in the existing literature. This present research provides an analytical historiography of Iranian-Saudi relations with an aim to examine the elements constituting the dynamics of their relations. This is attained by contextualizing the milestones of Iranian-Saudi relations, triangulating historical accounts to identify the narrative among alternatives that best fits the meaningful causal processes explaining continuity and change, and weighing the impacts of factors playing a role in any given period of the Iranian-Saudi relations.