Abstract
The beginning of the Khomeini era gave a different twist to Iran’s relations with the countries of the Arabian Peninsula in the form of heightened security-related concerns. Within the framework of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), however, this relationship remained essentially very similar to the one that prevailed between Iran and the OPEC states during the days of the Shah. As the war between Iran and Iraq heated up since the summer of 1987, Iran’s ties with Saudi Arabia and the other Arab states of OPEC have been under tremendous strain. This chapter is aimed at an examination of the dynamics of the relationship between these two countries.
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Notes
The vital statistics on Iran and Saudi Arabia are from The Europa Yearbook 1987 (London: Europa Publications, 1987).
Issues of high politics are of primary concern to top decision-makers. Low politics include those issues that are relegated to authorities at the low eschelon. See Stanley Hoffman, ‘Obstinate or Obsolete?: The Fate of Nation State and the Case of Western Europe’, Daedalus, Summer, 1966, 95, pp. 862–915.
M. E. Ahrari, OPEC — the Failing Giant ( Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky, 1986 ), pp. 42–7.
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© 1989 M. E. Ahrari
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Ahrari, M.E. (1989). Saudi Arabia, Iran and OPEC: The Dynamics of a Balancing Act. In: Ahrari, M.E. (eds) The Gulf and International Security. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-10864-0_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-10864-0_4
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-10866-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-10864-0
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