ABSTRACT
Chapter 1 introduces the argument on change over time in Saudi foreign policy and the cases through which this is exemplified: two separate interventions in Yemen during two distinct periods of regional revolutionary upheaval. It builds on theories of authoritarian legitimation strategies and ontological security to argue that, during the Nasserist period, Saudi Arabia responded to a rival state ideology by flexibly constructing its difference with Arab nationalism. This allowed it to enhance its own domestic legitimacy through construction of a counter-ideology alongside consolidation of state institutions, ultimately contributing to a mediated foreign policy response. In contrast, the ideologically diffuse opposition embodied in the 2011 Arab Spring led the regime to construct rivals as inflexible enemies, bringing about an exaggerated foreign aggression. Unlike the succession crisis of the 1960s, this setting favored the rise of a more overtly aggressive leadership uninterested in consultation over foreign policy.
