Iránska islamská republika a Saudská Arábia: Medzi politikou ideológie a pragmatizmom
The Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia: Between the Politics of Ideology and Pragmatism

Summary/Abstract: Iran and Saudi Arabia are important actors that play a significant role in the complex geopolitical situation in the Middle East region. In their mutual rivalry since the 1979 revolution in Iran, ideological, religious, political and economic issues have been intertwined with the national interests of both countries. From our perspective, we focus in particular on exploring two types of motives that we hypothesize also influence the foreign policies of Iran and Saudi Arabia. The first is a purely ideological motive that stems from differences in religious issues and worldviews of the political leaders of the two countries. The second type of motive is pragmatism, which is evident in the foreign policies of several Muslim countries and aims to establish the country's most eastern economic and political position within the international community. The aim of this paper is to highlight the main motives that have fundamentally influenced the development of bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran since 1979. The results show that there have been alternating periods of pragmatism and ideology in the development of Iran-Saudi relations. Based on the results, it is clear that even if constructive approaches have returned at different times among the political tools of the leaders of the two countries, it is still a question of ideology that has shaped, is shaping, and will continue to shape the relationship between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

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