Ortadoğu’da Mezhepsel Kimlik Politikalarının Ötesinde: İran-Suudi Arabistan’ın Rekabeti Örneği (original) (raw)
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Akademik İncelemeler Dergisi, 2019
Iran-Saudi Arabia's rivalry is the main reason behind the conflicts and instabilities in the region. However, the political nature of this rivalry is often oversimplified by mainstream media outlets. Similarly, a significant part of literature on identity politics on rivalry between Iran-Saudi Arabia, has mainly provided a comprehensive and descriptive account of their history as well as current conditions with ethnic and sectarian identities as roots and origins of regional instabilities; or focused mainly on the politicization and manipulation of Sunni and Shia Islam by actors in their struggles for power. Synthesizing the theories on identity politics already in existence, namely Primordialism, instrumentalism, and social constructivism, this research constructed an integrated theoretical model. In this model, sectarian identity-one essence intrinsic to Middle Eastern societies and been built alongside regional history-is not only measured by its tremendous influences on political processes; but also compared in the usage of political actors of all levels in political practices. (Ortadoğu bölgesindeki çatışma ve istikrarsızlık ortamının ardında İran-Suudi Arabistan rekabeti bulunmaktadır. Bununla birlikte bu rekabetin politik doğası, çoğunlukla ana akım medya tarafından aşırı derecede basitleştirilmiştir. Benzer biçimde İran-Suudi Arabistan rekabetinin içindeki kimlik politikaları üzerine yazılmış literatürün büyük bir kısmı bölgesel istikrarsızlıkların kökeni ve kaynağını ağırlıklı olarak tarihlerinin genel ve betimleyici bir hesabını sunmuş veya oyuncuların iktidar mücadeleleri içerisinde Sünni ve Şii İslam'ın politikleşmesine ve manipülasyonuna odaklanmıştır. Bu araştırmanın teorik modelini halen mevcut olan Primordialism, araçsalcılık ve sosyal inşacılık gibi kimlik politikaları teorilerinin bir sentezi oluşturmaktadır. Bu modelde, mezhepsel kimlik-Orta Doğu toplumlarına özgü ve bölgesel tarihle birlikte inşa edilen bir öz olarak-yalnızca siyasi süreçler üzerindeki etkileriyle değil, aynı zamanda siyasal aktörlerin tüm seviyedeki siyasal uygulama pratikleri ile ölçülmüştür.)
Beyond Sectarian Identity Politics in the Middle East: The Case of Iran-Saudi Arabia’s Rivalry
Akademik İncelemeler Dergisi, 2019
Iran – Saudi Arabia’s rivalry has been behind conflicts and instabilities in the region. However, the political nature of this rivalry is often over-simplified by mainstream media outlets. Similarly, a major part of literature on identity politics in Iran – Saudi Arabia’s rivalry has mainly provided a comprehensive and descriptive account of their history as well as current conditions with ethnic and sectarian identities as roots and origins of regional instabilities; or focused mainly on the politicization and manipulation of Sunni and Shia Islam by actors in their struggles for power. Synthesizing the theories on identity politics already in existence, namely Primordialism, instrumentalism, and social constructivism, this research constructed an integrated theoretical model. In this model, sectarian identity - one essence intrinsic to Middle Eastern societies and constructed alongside regional history – is not only measured by its tremendous influences on political processes; but ...
2019
This thesis applies the concept of religious (national) identity to the cases of Saudi Arabia, Iran and their proxy allies-state and non-state actors-in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. The aim was to show that in the Middle East, Sunni and Shiite affiliations matter in the relationship between the regional powers and respective proxies, as opposing to realist statement that alliances, conflicts and political developments are only governed by pragmatic power interests. Additionally, the work examines whether religious national identities have impact on the dynamics of proxy conflicts. Overall, the objective was to establish comprehensive image of how ideational/constructivist and pragmatic/realist factors work in combination to influence alliances, enmities and conflicts in the Middle East. Using qualitative methods of research, religious (national) identities of Saudi Arabia, Iran and their allies in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen were constructed so as to create ideational and realist points of departure, and then interlinked to show how convergence of religious identities helps in creating durable alliances if used in targeted manner as a strategic tool which can help safeguard national interests. The work shows notable differences in the use of this tool between Saudi Arabia and Iran, suggesting that it may influence foreign policy successes and failures. Additionally, support of religious convergence between Saudi Arabia, Iran and their respective proxies has direct impact on the dynamic of conflicts and political developments, as "sectarianization" affects formerly secular causes.
Turkish Studies Historical Analysis, 2019
The presence of diverse trans-state ethnic, geographic, sectarian, cultural and ideological identities not only challenge Middle Eastern regimes but have also militated against regional peace. State identities and regimes in the Middle East challenging in the civil society and state relations in the region. This is because the Middle East constitutes a unique ethnic, religious and sectarian mosaic. But these complex trans-border identical formations, most of the time, are challenging the states to lose control of the country's stability and even encourage other social and political problems in the region. This research will provide an outline about the theoretical approach of constructivism, and state identity components in the Middle East states, especially for Iran and Saudi Arabia, and how these state identities affect foreign affairs. On the other hand, in the Middle East, normative references, in terms of religion, ethnicity and tribal relations, as well as military-state relations and ideology, have significantly affected the state identity building process. These elements played significant roles in the formation of Middle Eastern states, especially Iran and Saudi Arabia. After World War I. the official relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia were established in 1929, but this relation was always ambivalent even in the best of times. There are many important reasons for this, such as mutual distrust, historical misconceptions, and their sectarian and ethnic identities. This study focuses on how Iran and Saudi Arabia's state identities were formed and how these consequently informed their regional politics until the end of the Shah regime in 1979.
Sectarian Identity and National Identity in the Middle East
Nations and Nationalism, 2020
This article looks at modern sectarian (here referring to Sunni/Shi'a) identities and their interaction with nationalism in the Middle East. In doing so I make three interrelated claims: 1) the term 'sectarianism' is distortive and analytically counterproductive. A better understanding of modern sectarian identity requires us to jettison the term. 2) Once discarded, our focus can then shift to sectarian identity: how it is constructed, perceived, utilized and so forth. A holistic understanding of sectarian identity must recognize the multiple fields upon which it is constructed and contested. The model adopted here frames sectarian identity as simultaneously operating on four fields: doctrinal, sub-national, transnational and, crucially for our purposes, the national dimension. 3) Thirdly, this article challenges the assumptions regarding national and sectarian identities in the modern Middle East. Contrary to conventional wisdom, modern sectarian identities are deeply embedded in the prism of the nation-state and are inextricably linked to nationalism and national identity. The article will rely primarily on the example of modern Iraq but, as will be seen, the Iraqi example is significantly echoed in the cases of Bahrain, Syria and Lebanon.
THE MIDDLE EAST: POLITICS AND IDENTITY
THE MIDDLE EAST: POLITICS AND IDENTITY, 2022
The book by a team of Middle East scholars representing the Russian expert community is a wide-ranging study exploring the identity factor in the domestic and foreign policy of the Middle East countries. With a focus on such countries as Turkey, Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt, the authors contemplate the activities pursued by non-state actors. The impact of external forces on the political identities across the regional landscape is analyzed through the example of the United States policy of democracy promotion and the EU political approaches. The book may draw the attention of not only dedicated professionals, but also a much broader audience, who are interested in the major trends of political development and international affairs in the Middle East. It can serve as an indispensable tool for the educational purposes, considering a theoretical and practical value of the research efforts. The Russian version of the book was awarded the Yevgeny V. Tarle Prize by the Russian Academy of Sciences
2018
Sectarian violence is decreasing across the Middle East, if largely due to mass displacement and harsh settlements imposed in states emerging from conflict. Alongside this decrease, an aggressive strain of transnational sectarian politics which has gripped the region for the past few decades is abating, at least for now. But while in principle, this lull creates a space for alternative forms of collective action to emerge, in practice, the region remains bound to the identity politics that have permeated its international relations for the better part of a century.