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Saudi-European relations 1902-2001

A Pragmatic Quest for Relative Autonomy

Bibliographic Data

ID4031348
AuthorsGerd Nonneman (Institute of China and Modern Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences, corresponding author)
Year2001
Volume77
Issue3
Pages631-661
Publication date2001-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Affairs (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0020-5850 • E-ISSN: 1468-2346
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1111/1468-2346.00211
OpenAlexW2064219776
LanguageEN
Citations received5

Surprisingly little has been written about the century-long relationship between Saudi Arabia and Europe, beyond snapshots of certain periods or certain aspects. Similarly, very few attempts have been made to seek long-term patterns in Saudi foreign policy. This article aims to fill this double gap. It shows that these patterns link even the earliest days with the present day, that they are inter-twined with the very building, consolidation and survival of the Saudi state and Al-Saud rule, and that they have implications for the future of Saudi-European relations. The article also aims to draw lessons from the Saudi case for the understanding of the foreign policy of developing/small states more generally. The Saudi-European relationship provides an illustration of the extent to which small/‘dependent’ actors in the international system can acquire a measure of autonomy. The room for manoeuvre which adept local leaders can turn into relative autonomy at the domestic, regional and international levels emerges from the combination of particular domestic circumstances (the availability of material and political resources) with external ones (including limitations on, and competition between, great powers; and the global scattering of great-power interests, as opposed to local actors’ regional concentration). Such relative autonomy for the state at all three levels has allowed the Al-Saud to pursue the survival imperative and other interests through the long-term foreign policy patterns of managed multi-dependence and pragmatism

Autonomy · Consolidation (business) · Economics · Foreign policy · International relations · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · State (computer science) · Islamic Studies and History · Law · Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts · Socioeconomic Development in MENA

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Unique citing works5
Citations per year0,71
Citation span2019 - 2025 (7)
Citation velocityrecent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 5

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