Bachelor Thesis from the year 2018 in the subject Politics - Topic: Peace and Conflict, Security, grade: A, GC University, course: BA (Hons) Political Science, language: English, abstract: This research seeks to uncover the research objectives as the reasons behind the absence of interstate war from 1979 onwards between the Middle East’s most powerful rivals, Iran and Saudi Arabia. It will define interstate warfare as a state of open and declared armed conflict between states or nations, resulting in a total of 1000 or more battle deaths. The research aims to present multiple aspects which require analysis: the conflict-zone orientation, external-power influential characteristics of the region; the regional hegemonic game in which the countries engage; the domestic and internal factors’ considerations affecting decision-making; the major internal issues at stake. Due to the complexity of the topic, the research aims to present a comprehensive analysis based on Realist and Constructivist concepts and ideas, while also delving into relevant domestic and ideological factors. This research aims to construct an analysis of the literature on the factors affecting the presence or absence of interstate war coupled with an analysis of four different events that explains that a combination of three key elements influence the decision of whether or not the two states will confront in war. The main elements most likely to affect the possibility for interstate war for Iran and Saudi Arabia are 1. Internal factors and their effects; 2. domestic institutions; 3. Their assessment of their own military powers. In order to comprehend the importance of these elements, this research will be discussing four case studies: the Iran-Iraq war; Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the 1991 Gulf War; the events of 1987; and the events of 2015 and the years that followed. The first two represent instances in which Iran and Saudi Arabia have engaged in interstate war, and the latter represent two crises in the history of these countries which have witnessed escalation but not war. By using these four events the research seeks to uncover the reasons behind each country’s decision to go to war, as well as the mechanisms kept their moves from transforming into war.

How do enduring rivalries between states affect international relations?

Shocks and Rivalries in the Middle East and North Africa is the first book to examine issue-driven antagonisms within groups of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) states and their impact on relations within the region. The volume also considers how shock events, such as internal revolts and regional wars, can alter interstate tensions and the trajectory of conflict. MENA has experienced more internal rivalries than any other region, making a detailed analysis vital to understanding the region’s complex political, cultural, and economic history. The state groupings studied in this volume include Israel and Iran; Iran and Saudi Arabia; Iran and Turkey; Iran, Iraq, and Syria; Egypt and Saudi Arabia; and Algeria and Morocco. Essays are theoretically driven, breaking the MENA region down into a collection of systems that exemplify how state and nonstate actors interact around certain issues. Through this approach, contributors shed rare light on the origins, persistence, escalation, and resolution of MENA rivalries and trace significant patterns of regional change. Shocks and Rivalries in the Middle East and North Africa makes a major contribution to scholarship on MENA antagonisms. It not only addresses an understudied phenomenon in the international relations of the MENA region, it also expands our knowledge of rivalry dynamics in global politics.

The Iran-Iraq War is one of the largest, yet least documented conflicts in the history of the Middle East. Drawing from an extensive cache of captured Iraqi government records, this book is the first comprehensive military and strategic account of the war through the lens of the Iraqi regime and its senior military commanders. It explores the rationale and decision-making processes that drove the Iraqis as they grappled with challenges that, at times, threatened their existence. Beginning with the bizarre lack of planning by the Iraqis in their invasion of Iran, the authors reveal Saddam's desperate attempts to improve the competence of an officer corps that he had purged to safeguard its loyalty to his tyranny, and then to weather the storm of suicidal attacks by Iranian religious revolutionaries. This is a unique and important contribution to our understanding of the history of war and the contemporary Middle East.

"The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic marks the most significant, singular global disruption since World War II, with health, economic, political, and security implications that will ripple for years to come." -Global Trends 2040 (2021) Global Trends 2040-A More Contested World (2021), released by the US National Intelligence Council, is the latest report in its series of reports starting in 1997 about megatrends and the world's future. This report, strongly influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, paints a bleak picture of the future and describes a contested, fragmented and turbulent world. It specifically discusses the four main trends that will shape tomorrow's world: - Demographics-by 2040, 1.4 billion people will be added mostly in Africa and South Asia. - Economics-increased government debt and concentrated economic power will escalate problems for the poor and middleclass. - Climate-a hotter world will increase water, food, and health insecurity. - Technology-the emergence of new technologies could both solve and cause problems for human life. Students of trends, policymakers, entrepreneurs, academics, journalists and anyone eager for a glimpse into the next decades, will find this report, with colored graphs, essential reading.

This anthology covers Small Wars Journal writings on Iranian and Hezbollah hybrid warfare activities around the world. Writings date from 2007 to 2015, including coverage on the nuclear deal, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) and Qods Force global movements, and Hezbollah’s expanding influence as Iran’s proxy. This anthology is meant to support the U.S. security debate on a post-nuclear deal Iran and an increasing Hezbollah presence in Middle East affairs as well as Latin America. This volume is composed of sixty chapters divided into four sections on Iran’s military capabilities and nuclear ambitions, Hezbollah’s global operations, Iranian and Hezbollah influence in Middle Eastern security affairs and their activities in Latin America. Also included is a foreword by Jason Rivera, an afterword by Dr. Luis Fleischman, a postscript by Dr. John P. Sullivan, an acronym listing, chapter notes, suggested readings following each section, and short biographies of the fifty-three contributors showcased in this work.

The thoroughly updated Fourth Edition of the gold standard text explores historical and current topics in today’s rapidly changing world to provide a comprehensive introduction to peace and conflict studies. The authors offer an insightful analysis of 21st-century global affairs, including such timely topics as ISIS, the nature of violence and nonviolence, cutting-edge military technologies, the Terrorism and Global Peace Indexes, and the latest developments in Iran, North Korea, and Syria. Comprehensive yet written in a student-friendly and accessible style, the text represents a commitment to inspire readers to create a better world through an understanding of what has happened and what is happening, and therefore what is likely to take place in the future. Read Dr. Barash’s article on Psychology Today on why nuclear threats by the U.S. Government are never a successful defense tactic.