The sociology of power applied to Saudi Arabia's elites and its impact on foreign policy. The case of the military intervention in Yemen (2015-2018)
In March 2015, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia launched a military campaign against the Houthi rebels who have seized power in Yemen. Since then a devastating armed conflict is ongoing being one of the biggest humanitarian crisis ever since. This paper assesses why the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia opted for...
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| Tipo de recurso: | tesis de maestría |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2018 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona |
| Repositorio: | Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:ddd.uab.cat:196822 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://ddd.uab.cat/record/196822 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Sociology of power Foreign policy analysis Yemen War Military intervention Saudi Arabia |
| Sumario: | In March 2015, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia launched a military campaign against the Houthi rebels who have seized power in Yemen. Since then a devastating armed conflict is ongoing being one of the biggest humanitarian crisis ever since. This paper assesses why the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia opted for a military intervention as foreign policy response to the developments in Yemen. The Saudi Kingdom's power structure in which foreign policy decisions are made is analysed, examining the different actors, interests and resources that play a role in the intervention. The analysis is based on the field of Foreign Policy Analysis applying the bureaucratic process model which is then supplemented by the Sociology of Power. Such combination is a new approach and shall generate a comprehensive theoretical framework. In the case of the Saudi military intervention in Yemen, the foreign policy decision to carry out the intervention results to have been taken in a complex power structure, in which the Saudi elites have faced competition with different actors regarding military resources, political influence in Yemen, as well as geopolitical and religious leadership in the region. The case study demonstrates that the Sociology of Power contributes the field of foreign policy analysis and should be applied to further investigations. |
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