The Position of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Toward Iraqi Governments After 2003

الملخص

 The Saudi-Iraqi relations have been a subject of increasing interest on both bilateral and regional/international levels due to the strategic importance of these two nations. This importance grants them added value and geopolitical strength, characterized by mutual influence on regional and international developments. The Saudi-Iraqi relations have gone through multiple phases, taken various paths, and been affected by local, regional, and international factors. These circumstances necessitated a transition from one phase to another based on the interests of both nations, their foreign policy objectives, and the factors influencing their mutual interaction. Iraq has experienced internal events that led to rapid reactions and counter-reactions in its relations with Saudi Arabia, marked by chaos and clashes amid shifting dynamics.

From this perspective, this study explores Saudi Arabia’s stance toward successive Iraqi governments post-2003—a new political phase that witnessed instances of attraction and tension, severed ties, mutual accusations, and most recently, significant rapprochement over the past four years.