International Relations Researches

International Relations Researches

Saudi Arabia's actions regarding influence in Central Asia: challenges and opportunities for the regional security order and Iran's position (1991-2021)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Sajad Bahrami Moghadam 1
reza Reyhani kolaahaahi 2
1 Guilan University
2 Department of Political Science and International Relations, Gilan University
10.22034/irr.2023.396442.2375
Abstract
Saudi Arabia is trying to achieve leadership in the Islamic world and the position of a major regional power. This country is a traditional political regime in favor of Hanafi-Salafi Islam, a supporter of traditional regimes and fundamentalist Salafi movements in the Middle East region. The spread of Saudi Arabia's role as a supporter of Sunni fundamentalist can also be seen in regions such as Central Asia. The above issue is effective on the security complex of Central Asia and the security of this countries. Russia, China and especially Iran are also facing the transformation in the system of these collections and they are reacting to it. The purpose of this article is to investigate this issue. The question of this article states that: What effects have Saudi Arabia's actions in strengthening Salafist fundamentalism in Central Asia had on the framework of the security complex of Central Asian countries? The hypothesis of the article states that due to Saudi Arabia's use of the religious identity factor to influence the Central Asian region, by supporting movements such as Hizb ut-Tahrir and Islamic Renaissance, it has caused the spread of the idea of caliphate among the Sunni Hanafi majority in Central Asia. Securitization and the dual emergence of growth or weakening of security regionalism is the result of Saudi Arabia's security measures in Central Asia. In this context, with the intensification of the threat component, the possibility of security regionalism has, and the competition between political units in Central Asia has increased.
Keywords
Saudi Arabia
fundamentalism
security complex
Central Asia
Salafism
تیشه یار، ماندانا، تویسرکانی، مجتبی. (1396). مبنای ژئوپلیتیک راه ابریشم آمریکا و چین در آسیای مرکزی. فصلنامه علمی مطالعات آسیای مرکزی و قفقاز، 23(99)،  1-25.
حسنی چنار, سیده رقیه, آجیلی, هادی. (1400). کاربست نظریه‌ی امنیتی سازی بری بوزان در تحلیل بنیادگرایی اسلامی، (4) 2 . 27-46.
دهشیری، محمدرضا، قربانی، سعید، حکمت­آرا، حامد (1399) بررسی مقایسه­ای سعودی در عربستان و ایران فرهنگی دیپلماسی آسیای مرکزی، مطالعات اوراسیای مرکزی، (2) 13، 464-445.
روحی‌دهبنه, مجید, مرادی‌کلارده, سجاد. (1397). واکاوی نقش عربستان سعودی در گسترش تروریسم تکفیری در آسیای مرکزی با تمرکز بر رویکرد رسانه‌ای، پژوهشنامه رسانه بین­الملل، (1) 3، 202-179.
سنایی, مهدی, کرمی, جهانگیر. (1398). روند چند جانبه‌گرایی بین‌المللی و راهبرد شرقی ایران. فصلنامه سیاست خارجی،(2) 33، 56-25.
کرمی, جهانگیر, کریمیان, علیرضا. (1396). ایران وآسیای مرکزی روندهای منطقه‌ای و چشم انداز آینده. سیاست جهانی, 6(3), 41-63.،  doi: 10.22124/wp.2017.2659
کولایی, الهه, کاویانی­فر, پیمان. (1398). ایران و ترکیه در مجموعه امنیتی آسیای مرکزی. فصلنامه مطالعات روابط بین الملل, 12(45), 141-169. doi: DOR:20.1001.1.24234974.1398.12.45.6.7
کولایی, الهه, کوزه گر کالجی, ولی. (1398). دلایل و زمینه های غیر امنیتی سازی در آسیای مرکزی.  فصلنامه علمی مطالعات آسیای مرکزی و قفقاز ، (106) 26 . 121-157.
مجیدی, محمد رضا, باقری, یوسف. (1397). زمینه‎های پیدایش و رشد افراطی‌گری در آسیای مرکزی: مطالعه موردی داعش. فصلنامه علمی تحقیقات سیاسی و بین المللی، 10(34), 151-175.
 
Al-Nouimat, Abdalla & Jakubayeva, S. & Zhekenov, Duman & Azimov, A.. (2019). Geopolitical interest of Iran in Central Asia. KazNU BULLETIN. International relations and international law series. 87. 10.26577/IRILJ.2019.v87.i3.04.
Biard, Aurélie. (2019). “WE PRAY FOR OUR PRESIDENT”: SAUDI-INSPIRED LOYALIST SALAFISM AND THE BUSINESS SECTOR IN KAZAKHSTAN. Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affaire. January. at: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/FP_201901_Biard-paper-on-Salayism-in-Kazakhstan.pdf
Buzan, Barry; Waever, Ole (2009). Macrosecuritisation and security constellations: reconsidering scale in securitisation theory. Review of International Studies, 35(2), 253–. doi:10.1017/s0260210509008511
Buzan, Barry; Waever, Ole. (2003). Regions and Powers: The Structure of International Security. Cambridge University Press
Clement, Victoria. (2020). Religion and the Secular State in Turkmenistan. Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program. June. at: https://silkroadstudies.org/resources/Religion_and_the_Secular_State_in_Turkmenistan_-_Victoria_Clement_-_10.06.20_-_FINAL_wCover.pdf
Cornell, Svante E., Starr, S. Frederick. Tucker, Julian (2018). Religion and the Secular State in Kazakhstan. Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program. April. at: https://www.silkroadstudies.org/resources/pdf/SilkRoadPapers/2018-04-Kazakhstan-Secularism.pdf
Cornell, Svante E., Starr, S. Frederick. Tucker, Julian (2018). Religion and the Secular State in Kazakhstan. Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program. April. at: https://www.silkroadstudies.org/resources/pdf/SilkRoadPapers/2018-04-Kazakhstan-Secularism.pdf
Cornell, Svante E., Zenn, Jacob (2018). Religion and the Secular State in Uzbekistan. Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program. June. at: https://www.silkroadstudies.org/resources/pdf/SilkRoadPapers/2018-06-Uzbekistan-Secular.pdf
Cornell, Svante E., Zenn, Jacob (2018). Religion and the Secular State in Uzbekistan. Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program. June. at: https://www.silkroadstudies.org/resources/pdf/SilkRoadPapers/2018-06-Uzbekistan-Secular.pdf
Friedrich Ebert Foundation (2017). CENTRAL ASIA: A SPACE FOR “SILK DEMOCRACY”. ISLAM AND STATE. June. at: https://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/kasachstan/14105.pdf
Kalonov, Adzhamsho. (2020). Political Islam and Democracy: Moderation and the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan?. The Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg,.
Liu, Jiang., Yong, Yanyang (2020). The causes of extremist forces in Central Asia and their risk prevention from the perspective of "One Belt, One Road". February. at: http://www.sara.gov.cn/zjyj/323792.jhtml (in Chinese)
Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland (2018). Country Strategy for Development Cooperation: THE KYRGYZ REPUBLIC AND TAJIKISTAN 2018–2021. April. at: https://um.fi/documents/35732/0/Kyrgyz+Republic_Tajikistan+Country+Strategy.pdf/50f58a2a-c8ef-a976-9b4c-ff66739b7bcb
Poujol, Catherine (2017). CENTRAL ASIA GOING ON “HYPER-ISLAMISATION”: BETWEEN ADAPTATION TO POST-COMMUNISM AND CALLS FOR RADICALIZATION. Revista UNISCI, (45),235-245.[fecha de Consulta 21 de Febrero de 2022]. ISSN: 2386-9453. Disponible en: https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=76754084011
Pour Esmaeili, N., Salimi, H., & Dehghani Firoozabadi, S. J. (2020). Critical and Complementary Review of Buzan’s Regional Security Complex Theory in The Wake of Middle East Regional system. Geopolitics Quarterly, 16(60), 135-164.
Republic of Kazakhstan's Ministry of Justice (2020). About approval of the complex plan on implementation of the state policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the field of religion for 2021-2023. December 31. at: https://adilet.zan.kz/kaz/docs/P2000000953 (in Kazakh)
Republic of Kazakhstan's Ministry of Justice (2020). About approval of the complex plan on implementation of the state policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the field of religion for 2021-2023. December 31. at: https://adilet.zan.kz/kaz/docs/P2000000953 (in Kazakh)
Safarova, Gandzhina Faridunovna. (2018). Mechanisms for overcoming Islamic extremism in the context of ensuring the national security of the countries of Central Asia. Post-Soviet Studies. 1(7). 707-717. at: https://www.gcedclearinghouse.org/sites/default/files/resources/190250rus.pdf (in Russian)
Stępka, M. (2022). The Copenhagen School and Beyond. A Closer Look at Securitisation Theory. In: Identifying Security Logics in the EU Policy Discourse. IMISCOE Research Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93035-6_2
Taliga, Harri. (2021). Belt and Road Initiative in Central Asia. The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). March 16. at: https://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/belt_and_road_initiative_in_central_asia.pdf
Umarov, Akram (2020), Central Asia: construction of the new régional Security complexe?, The Journal of Cross-Regional Dialogues/La Revue de dialogues inter-régionaux [En ligne], 2020 Special Issue, 69-82 URL : https://popups.uliege.be/2593-9483/index.php?id=135
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2023). UNODC and partners organized a three-day foundation course on investigations of the terrorism financing in Turkmenistan. May 24. at: https://www.unodc.org/centralasia/en/unodc-and-partners-organized-a-three-day-foundation-course-on-investigations-of-the-terrorism-financing-in-turkmenistan.html
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2023). UNODC supported the Briefing on possible Technical Assistance to Turkmenistan in the Implementation of the National Strategy and Action Plan on Prevention of Violent Extremism and Countering Terrorism for 2020-2024. May 24. at: https://www.unodc.org/centralasia/en/unodc-supported-the-briefing-on-possible-technical-assistance-to-turkmenistan-in-the-implementation-of-the-national-strategy-and-action-plan-on-prevention-of-violent-extremism-and-countering-terrorism-for-2020-2024.html
Wilson, Jeanne L. (2021). Russia and China in Central Asia: Deepening Tensions in the Relationship. Acta Via Serica. 6(1). 55-90, doi: 10.22679/avs.2021.6.1.003
World Population Review (2022). Muslim Population by Country 2023. April 15. at: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/muslim-population-by-country