Sub-Imperıalısm And The Mıddle East: Saudı Arabıa’s Regıonal Polıcy In The Post-Cold War Perıod

Abstract

The sub-imperialism theory refers to the policies of a group of dependent capitalist states which are capable of exporting their capital outside of their borders with their relatively independent policy despite of their strong dependence to and domination by core capitalist states. The strong state structure with the support of the merchant class, super-exploitation of migrant workers, “antagonistic alliance” with USA and other developed states, and the intense motivation to expand Saudi influence in the Middle East are all evidences of a state model compatible with the essential features of sub-imperialism theory. Therefore, this thesis scrutinizes the concept of sub-imperialism in order to analyze Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy in the Middle East. Regarding that the structure of global capitalism in general and the Middle East as a region in particuar have been subjected to radical changes with the demise of Soviet Union, this thesis specifically concentrates on the Post-Cold War Period. The Saudi actions during the Gulf War, the U.S. invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, the Arab Spring and the Yemeni Civil War as well as the efforts to expand the influence of Saudi conglomerates beyond Saudi and Gulf region reveals a Saudi willingness to expand its sphere of influence more intensely after the end of the Cold War with the help of U.S. unipolarity dominating the Middle East region. Both the expansionist and cooperative attitudes of Saudi Arabia in international politics need to be explained more closely with the sub-imperialism theory’s explanations about state behaviour.