Saud AL TAMAMY

Analysts tend to describe Saudi foreign policy as a typical pragmatic and realist one, based on Westphalian doctrines. This is evident when anyone observes the kingdom’s international relations. Saudi Arabia is signatory of the United Nations charter and a founding member, an active player of the international community, a member of a variety of international organizations; some of them deal with economic and cultural issues. Furthermore, for decades, Saudi Arabia has been able to form a set of close relationships with a wide range of countries, based on the exchange of interests, regardless of their historical, ideological, and cultural backgrounds.
This harmony between morality, in one hand, and pursuing state interests in a Westphalian manner, in another hand, gives the kingdom’s foreign policy three unique qualities. The first is that Saudi Arabia believes that the interaction within the international community should be governed by a number of Norms that fulfill a set of principles. The most important of these principles are preserving international peace; coexistence among people of different religions, ethnicities, and ideological; good-neighborhood policy; non-interference. Once these principles are fulfilled and respected, the exchange of interests between states will be guaranteed on equal footing and a win-win base.
The kingdom is aware that there is a necessity to create a common language among different countries. This common language should govern their bilateral relations. This common language should be based on the countries’ common respect of the international law, international institutions, the mutual support of each party’s causes and non-interference in the domestic issues of any country . Therefore, further attention to enhance the role of the OIC, as the umbrella of the bilateral interactions of Muslim countries is needed. In this regard, the rediscovery of Islam, as a solid and perpetual cultural link that brings a wide range of countries around the globe together, will add an unbreakable pillar of their bilateral relations.
The discourse of Islamic solidarity provides a common language for conflict-solving and mediation attempts for a wide range of countries around the world. Based on the principle of Islamic solidarity, a window of mediation between Afghani fractions in 1989 opened up. Under the umbrella of OIC, a sincere Saudi attempt to stop the Afghani civil war that broke out following the withdrawal of the Soviet troops from the country took place. Other mediations efforts, based on the principle of Islamic solidarity, and within the framework of the OIC, have also occurred between Iraq and Iran, Somalia, Lebanon, and elsewhere. The OIC, also, has shown full support to peace initiatives introduced to end the bloody civil war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and to end the long-lasting conflict of the Middle East.
The third unique quality of Saudi foreign policy resulted from harmonizing Islamic morality with Westphalian doctrines is the most legitimate and credible Muslim interlocutor in intra-faith and intra-cultural dialogue initiatives. These initiatives have acquired a growing importance since the terrorist attacks on the United States’ soil in 2011. In this regard, it is important to note that Saudi Arabia, as the cradle of Islam, has shown its commitment to engage in a genuine and multi-layered inter-faith and inter-cultural dialogue that is based on tolerance, mutual respect, and co-existence. This is not only evident by the kingdom’s active participation in the United Nations’ initiatives in this regard, but also by creating an institutional framework for dialogue. In 2011, the kingdom, side by side with Austria and Spain, announced the establishment of King Abdullah International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Vienna . This initiative was echoed by the Saudi proposal presented to the summit of Islamic Cooperation Organization in August 2012 to establish and host a center of inter-sect dialogue in Riyādh are just two examples of the kingdom’s efforts in that regard .