The Iranian Association of International Studies International Relations Researches 2251-8444 6 21 2016 10 22 Realistic Explanation of Saudi Foreign Policy in the Middle East Crisis (1979-2015) Realistic Explanation of Saudi Foreign Policy in the Middle East Crisis (1979-2015) 79 110 45857 FA Hossein Karimifard Faculty Member of Islamic Azad University of Ahvaz Journal Article 2016 05 09 Saudi Arabia, as one of the key players in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf, plays an important role in political developments. The country saw the Islamic Republic as a security threat in the 1980s, coinciding with the Islamic Revolution in Iran and the revival of Shiite Islam in Iran. Thus, with the formation of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council and the logistical, weapons and financial assistance to Iraq in the war against the Islamic Republic, it sought to contain and balance the threat against Iran. In the 1990s, Iraq was considered a threat against Saudi Arabia by the Iraqi threat and Saddam's invasion of Kuwait. Saudi Arabia sought to repel the threat by defusing the bulk of the US and its allies' expedition to the Persian Gulf on one hand and defusing the Islamic Republic on the other. Saudi Arabia's perception at the beginning of the 21st century is that after the fall of Saddam in Iraq, the Arab revolutions and Iranian influence in Arab countries, the Islamic Republic of Iran is a threat to Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the political elites in Saudi Arabia are trying to work against the interests and security of the Islamic Republic in cooperation with the United States of America and the alliance with Israel and Turkey. The hypothesis of this study, which was written in the framework of the Realism and Threat Balance approach and with an analytic-explanatory methodology, is: The Balance of Threat model of Saudi foreign policy in relation to developments and crises in the Middle East from 1979 to 2015. Saudi Arabia, as one of the key players in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf, plays an important role in political developments. The country saw the Islamic Republic as a security threat in the 1980s, coinciding with the Islamic Revolution in Iran and the revival of Shiite Islam in Iran. Thus, with the formation of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council and the logistical, weapons and financial assistance to Iraq in the war against the Islamic Republic, it sought to contain and balance the threat against Iran. In the 1990s, Iraq was considered a threat against Saudi Arabia by the Iraqi threat and Saddam's invasion of Kuwait. Saudi Arabia sought to repel the threat by defusing the bulk of the US and its allies' expedition to the Persian Gulf on one hand and defusing the Islamic Republic on the other. Saudi Arabia's perception at the beginning of the 21st century is that after the fall of Saddam in Iraq, the Arab revolutions and Iranian influence in Arab countries, the Islamic Republic of Iran is a threat to Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the political elites in Saudi Arabia are trying to work against the interests and security of the Islamic Republic in cooperation with the United States of America and the alliance with Israel and Turkey. The hypothesis of this study, which was written in the framework of the Realism and Threat Balance approach and with an analytic-explanatory methodology, is: The Balance of Threat model of Saudi foreign policy in relation to developments and crises in the Middle East from 1979 to 2015. https://www.iisajournals.ir/article_45857_6726f851d9de8f7d76c143b1e025a9b6.pdf