Iran and Saudi Arabia’s Conflicts of Interest in Iraq After 2003: A Geopolitical Perspective

Akademi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi. 2021. Vol. 8. No. 22. P. 107–126.

Leylanoglu H., Seyedi Asl S.

With the invasion of Iraq by the USA in 2003 and the overthrow of the Baath regime, the formation of a new order led to geopolitical changes that made a difference in the Middle East. The prevalence of terms like “New Middle East” or “Greater Middle East” and other similar interpretations show that a new geopolitical map is emerging in this sensitive region of the world. These extend have led to the expansion of competition between world and regional powers to expand their presence and influence in the Middle East and to take advantage of new conditions and new geopolitical and geostrategic arrangements. Throughout the ethnic and sectarian conflict gradually increased in Iraq after the 2003 Iraq War, the security problem of the country has not been solved. In addition, the influence of foreign actors is gradually increasing; Iraq has become an unstable country. Iran and Saudi Arabia played an important role in the instability of Iraq. Moreover, both countries wanted to be stronger in Iraq’s domestic policy by using their own actors in Iraq. After the Iran Islamic Revolution, the Shia political and revolutionary ideology confronted to the ideology of Sunni and Wahhabism of Saudi Arabia. As a result, both countries began to question each other’s legitimacy at the region level. This article probes Iran’s and Saudi Arabia’s foreign policies as two regional actors and examining the conflict of interests in Iraq by considering how it was reflecting on Iraq’s domestic and foreign policy by using analytical method.

Keywords: geopolitics