Theoretical Framework

Abstract

Arafat offers an in-depth analysis of different theories and approaches employed as a theoretical framework of the book: Copenhagen School of security studies, constructivism, especially holistic constructivism, the concept of National Role Conceptions (NRCs) and Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA) approach, and the Power Transition Theory (PTT). Focusing on the different theories and approaches, this chapter draws attention to the Persian Gulf geo-economic, geostrategic, and geopolitical importance; security definition and scope between minimalists and maximalists; the Persian Gulf Regional Security Complex. “Theoretical Framework” concludes that neither realism alone nor constructivism alone are appropriate to understand the motivation of the Iranian-Saudi rivalry. The power struggle in the next decades would be between Iran and Turkey, not between Iran and Saudi Arabia. It also concludes that the Persian Gulf constitutes regional security system.