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THE PROCESS OF CHANGE IN SAUDI ARABIA IN TERMS OF FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC POLITICAL DYNAMICS: REFORMS IN MUHAMMAD BIN SALMAN ERA

Year 2025, Volume: 17 Issue: 1, 25 - 36, 30.06.2025

Mehmet Alkış

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the reforms of the Muhammad bin Salman era in Saudi Arabia in terms of foreign and domestic political dynamics. Arab Spring has expelled some existing regimes in the Middle East to undergo changes in terms of their legitimacy and authority. Therefore, Saudi Arabia has also entered a process of transformation and reform under Muhammad bin Salman’s leadership. The reforms include limiting the influence of religious ulema, transforming the oil-dependent economy and implementing social and cultural reforms. There have been efforts to convey the impression of a moderate understanding of religion by reducing the influence of religious ulema. Economically, the Vision 2030 plan seeks to reduce dependence on oil and attract foreign investors with technology and infrastructure projects. Also, it is aimed empowerment of women and youth. To create impression of change, popular culture and entertainment activities have been used as a part of reform policy. Moreover, the reforms have purpose of strengthening the sense of belonging to the country to reorganize state-society relations. This study highlights that the ultimate goal of reforms in Saudi Arabia is to increase legitimacy and consolidate state authority.

Keywords

Saudi Arabia Muhammad bin Salman Vision 2030 Middle East Transformational Leadership

References

  • Acar, Necmettin. “Elitler Arası Uyumsuzluğun Suudi Dış Politikasına Etkisi”. İnsan ve Toplum 12/4 (2022), 183-210.
  • Acar, Necmettin. “Muhammed bin Selman’ın Suudi Arabistan’da Devleti Yeniden Yapılandırma Politikası”. Erişim 17 Eylül 2024. https://tasam.org/tr-TR/Icerik/70277/muhammed_bin_selmanin_suudi_arabistanda_devleti_yeniden_yapilandirma_politikasi.
  • Alessa, Noha A. vd. “Saudi Women’s Economic Empowerment in Light of Saudi Vision 2030: Perception, Challenges and Opportunities”. Journal of Educational and Social Research 12/1 (2022). https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-2022-0025.
  • Aliedan, Meqbel. “The Geopolitics of International Trade in Saudi Arabia: Saudi Vision 2030”. Cuadernos de Economía 45/127 (2022), 11-19. https://doi.org/10.32826/cude.v1i127.601.
  • Alhussein, Eman. Saudi Arabia Champions “Moderate Islam” Underpinning Reform Efforts (Report No. 10). The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, 2020.
  • Akdoğan, İsmail – Kalaycı, Rıdvan. “Suudi Arabistan’da İhyacı Hareketler Olarak Sahve ve Vehhabilik”. Türkiye Ortadoğu Çalışmaları Dergisi 1/1 (2014), 155-184.
  • Al-Rasheed, Madawi - Al-Rasheed, Loulouwa. “The Politics of Encapsulation: Saudi Policy Towards Tribal and Religious Opposition”. Middle Eastern Studies 32/1 (1996).
  • Al-Rasheed, Madawi. The Son King: Reform and Repression in Saudi Arabia. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021.
  • Anadolu Ajansı. “Suudi Arabistan'da Miladi Takvim Tasarrufu” (16 Ekim 2016), Erişim https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/dunya/-suudi-arabistanda-miladi-takvim-tasarrufu/666008.
  • Bari, Raisul. “Socio-Cultural Transformation of Saudi Arabia Before and After Prince Mohammad bin Salman: An Analysis”. International Journal of Applied Social Science 6/7 (2019), 1952-1956.
  • Bass, Bernard M. - Avolio, Bruce. “Transformational Leadership: A Response to Critiques”. Leadership Theory and Research: Perspectives and Directions. eds. Martin M. Chemers - Roya Ayman. 49-80. New York: Academic Press, 1993.
  • Bass, Bernard M. - Riggio, Ronald E. Transformational Leadership. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers, 2006.
  • Baumann, Hannes. “The Transformation of Saudi Arabia’s Rentier State and ‘The International”. Globalizations 16/7 (2019), 1165-1183. https://doi.org/10.1080/14747731.2019.1573870.
  • Bromley, Simon. “The States-System in the Middle East: Origins, Development, and Prospects”. A Companion to the History of the Middle East. ed. Youssef M. Choueiri. Blackwell Publishing, 2005.
  • Bsheer, Rosie. “How Mohammed bin Salman has Transformed Saudi Arabia”. Erişim 5 Kasım 2024. https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/how-mohammed-bin-salman-has-transformed-saudi-arabia/.
  • Burns, James MacGregor. Leadership. New York: Harper and Row, 1978.
  • Büyükkara, Mehmet Ali. Çağdaş İslamî Akımlar. İstanbul: Klasik, 2015.
  • Clausen, Maria-Louise. “Saudi Arabian Military Activism in Yemen: Interactions between the Domestic and the Systemic Level”. Shifting Global Politics and the Middle East, POMEPS, 2019.
  • Cook, Michael. “Muhammed bin Abdülvehhab”. Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı İslam Ansiklopedisi 30. TDV Yayınları, 2020.
  • Cubelic, Danijel. “The Creative Kingdom: Economic Reform and Art as a New Space of Islamic Critique in Saudi Arabia”. Zeitschrift für Religionswissenschaft 27/1 (2019), 27-47. https://doi.org/10.1515/zfr-2018-0028.
  • Çınkara, Gökhan. “Prens Muhammed bin Selman’ın 2030 Vizyonu’nu Anlamlandırmak: Suudi Arabistan’da Teknokrasi, Milliyetçilik ve Yeni Ekonomi”. Avrasya Uluslararası Araştırmalar Dergisi 11/36 (2023), 93-121. https://doi.org/10.33692/avrasyad.1261909.
  • Del Sarto, Rafaella A. “Insecurity, Identity Politics, and the Restructuring of the Middle East”. Shifting Global Politics and the Middle East. POMEPS, 2019.
  • Grand, Stephen - Wolff, Katherine. Assessing Saudi Vision 2030: A 2020 Review. Atlantic Council Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, 2020.
  • Habibi, Nader. Implementing Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030: An Interim Balance Sheet (Report No. 127). Brandeis University Crown Center for Middle East Studies, 2019.
  • Hegghammer, Thomas. Islamist Violence and Regime Stability in Saudi Arabia. International Affairs 84/4 (2008).
  • Khashan, Hilal. “Saudi Arabia’s Flawed “Vision 2030”. Middle East Quarterly (2017).
  • Kinninmont, Jane. “Political Change in Saudi Arabia”. IEMed Mediterranean Yearbook 2018. European Institute of Mediterranean, 2018.
  • Lacroix, Stephane. “Saudi Arabia and the Limits of Religious Reform”. The Review of Faith & International Affairs 17/2 (2019), 97-101. https://doi.org/10.1080/15570274.2019.1608650.
  • Lynch, Marc - Jamal, Amaney. “Introduction: Shifting Global Politics and the Middle East”. Shifting Global Politics and the Middle East. POMEPS, 2019.
  • Mabon, Simon. “It’s a Family Affair: Religion, Geopolitics and the Rise of Mohammed bin Salman”. Insight Turkey 20/2 (2018), 51-66.
  • Mati, Amine - Rehman, Sidra. Saudi Arabia's Economy Grows as it Diversifies. Erişim 6 Ekim 2024. https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2023/09/28/cf-saudi-arabias-economy-grows-as-it-diversifies.
  • Menoret, Pascal. How Saudi Suburbs Shaped Islamic Activism (Report No. 125). Brandeis University Crown Center for Middle East Studies, 2019.
  • Moshashai, Daniel vd. “Saudi Arabia Plans for its Economic Future: Vision 2030, The National Transformation Plan and Saudi Fiscal Reform”. British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies 47/3 (2020), 381-401. http://doi.org/10.1080/13530194.2018.1500269.
  • Muslu el Berni, Hazal. “The Power Paradigm of the King Salman Period: Building a Saudi Soft Power?”. Asian Journal of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies 17/2 (2023), 190-200. https://www.doi.org/10.1080/25765949.2023.2231251.
  • Neom. “What is Neom”. Erişim 27 Eylül 2024. https://www.neom.com/en-us/about.
  • Nurunnabi, Mohammad. “Transformation from an Oil-Based Economy to a Knowledge-Based Economy in Saudi Arabia: The Direction of Saudi Vision 2030”. Journal of Knowledge Economy 8 (2017), 536–564. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-017-0479-8.
  • Ottaway, David. Mohammed bin Salman: The Icarus of Saudi Arabia. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2021.
  • Özev, Muharrem Hilmi. “Nation Building in Saudi Arabia: From Rentierism to Territorial Nationalism”. İnsan ve Toplum 14/2 (2024), 164-188. http://doi.org/10.12658/M0735.
  • Sager, Abdulaziz. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Emerging Middle Power in Global Dynamics. Gulf Research Center, 2024.
  • Stenslie, Stig. “The End of Elite Unity and the Stability of Saudi Arabia”. The Washington Quarterly 41/1 (2018), 61-82. http://www.doi.org/10.1080/0163660X.2018.1445360.
  • Şarkul Avsat. “Suudi Arabistan’da Yüzde 15’e çıkarılan KDV Oranı Bugün Yürürlüğe Girdi” (1 Temmuz 2020), Erişim https://turkish.aawsat.com/home/article/2364276/suudi-arabistan’da-yüzde-15’e-çıkarılan-kdv-oranı-bugün-yürürlüğe-girdi.
  • Topal, Aylin. “Economic Reforms and Women's Empowerment in Saudi Arabia”. Women's Studies International Forum 76 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2019.102253.
  • Ulrichsen, Kristian Coates - Sheline, Annelle R. Mohammed bin Salman and Religious Authority and Reform in Saudi Arabia. Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy, 2019.
  • Weber, Max. The Theory of Social and Economic Organization. ed. Talcott Parsons. New York: Free Press, 1964.
  • World Bank. “Saudi Arabia”. Erişim 3 Kasım 2024. https://data.worldbank.org/country/saudi-arabia.

DIŞ VE İÇ SİYASET DİNAMİKLERİ AÇISINDAN SUUDİ ARABİSTAN’DA DEĞİŞİM SÜRECİ: MUHAMMED BİN SELMAN DÖNEMİ REFORMLARI

Year 2025, Volume: 17 Issue: 1, 25 - 36, 30.06.2025

Mehmet Alkış

Abstract

Bu makale Suudi Arabistan’da Muhammed bin Selman dönemi reformlarını dış ve iç siyaset dinamikleri açısından incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Orta Doğu’da Arap Baharı’nın tetiklemiş olduğu değişimler bölgedeki mevcut bazı rejimleri meşruiyet ve otoriteleri bakımından zorlamıştır. Bu nedenle söz konusu rejimlerin başında gelen Suudi Arabistan da Muhammed bin Selman liderliği ile ülkede bir dönüşüm sürecine girmiştir. Dini ulemanın etkisini sınırlandırma, petrole bağımlı ekonomiyi dönüştürme ve toplumsal-kültürel reformlar şeklinde yenilikler uygulamaya konulmuştur. Ülkede dini ulemanın nüfuzu azaltılarak ılımlı bir din anlayışına sahip olunduğu izlenimi verme çabası içerisine girilmiştir. Suudi Arabistan ekonomik açıdan Vizyon 2030 planı ile petrole olan bağımlılığını azaltmaya ve teknoloji/altyapı projeleri ile yabancı yatırımcıları çekmeye çalışmıştır. Kadınlar ve gençlerin toplumsal ve ekonomik açıdan güçlenmesi hedeflenmiştir. Popüler kültür ve eğlence alanında etkinlikler ile değişimlerin olduğu imajı verilmeye çalışılmıştır. Bununla birlikte ülkeye olan aidiyetin güçlendirilmesi yoluyla devlet-toplum ilişkisi yeniden organize edilmeye çalışılmıştır. Bu çalışma Suudi Arabistan’da reformların nihai amacının meşruiyeti arttırma ve devlet otoritesini tahkim etme olduğuna dikkat çekmektedir.

Keywords

Suudi Arabistan Muhammed bin Selman Vizyon 2030 Orta Doğu Dönüşümcü Liderlik

References

  • Acar, Necmettin. “Elitler Arası Uyumsuzluğun Suudi Dış Politikasına Etkisi”. İnsan ve Toplum 12/4 (2022), 183-210.
  • Acar, Necmettin. “Muhammed bin Selman’ın Suudi Arabistan’da Devleti Yeniden Yapılandırma Politikası”. Erişim 17 Eylül 2024. https://tasam.org/tr-TR/Icerik/70277/muhammed_bin_selmanin_suudi_arabistanda_devleti_yeniden_yapilandirma_politikasi.
  • Alessa, Noha A. vd. “Saudi Women’s Economic Empowerment in Light of Saudi Vision 2030: Perception, Challenges and Opportunities”. Journal of Educational and Social Research 12/1 (2022). https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-2022-0025.
  • Aliedan, Meqbel. “The Geopolitics of International Trade in Saudi Arabia: Saudi Vision 2030”. Cuadernos de Economía 45/127 (2022), 11-19. https://doi.org/10.32826/cude.v1i127.601.
  • Alhussein, Eman. Saudi Arabia Champions “Moderate Islam” Underpinning Reform Efforts (Report No. 10). The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, 2020.
  • Akdoğan, İsmail – Kalaycı, Rıdvan. “Suudi Arabistan’da İhyacı Hareketler Olarak Sahve ve Vehhabilik”. Türkiye Ortadoğu Çalışmaları Dergisi 1/1 (2014), 155-184.
  • Al-Rasheed, Madawi - Al-Rasheed, Loulouwa. “The Politics of Encapsulation: Saudi Policy Towards Tribal and Religious Opposition”. Middle Eastern Studies 32/1 (1996).
  • Al-Rasheed, Madawi. The Son King: Reform and Repression in Saudi Arabia. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021.
  • Anadolu Ajansı. “Suudi Arabistan'da Miladi Takvim Tasarrufu” (16 Ekim 2016), Erişim https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/dunya/-suudi-arabistanda-miladi-takvim-tasarrufu/666008.
  • Bari, Raisul. “Socio-Cultural Transformation of Saudi Arabia Before and After Prince Mohammad bin Salman: An Analysis”. International Journal of Applied Social Science 6/7 (2019), 1952-1956.
  • Bass, Bernard M. - Avolio, Bruce. “Transformational Leadership: A Response to Critiques”. Leadership Theory and Research: Perspectives and Directions. eds. Martin M. Chemers - Roya Ayman. 49-80. New York: Academic Press, 1993.
  • Bass, Bernard M. - Riggio, Ronald E. Transformational Leadership. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers, 2006.
  • Baumann, Hannes. “The Transformation of Saudi Arabia’s Rentier State and ‘The International”. Globalizations 16/7 (2019), 1165-1183. https://doi.org/10.1080/14747731.2019.1573870.
  • Bromley, Simon. “The States-System in the Middle East: Origins, Development, and Prospects”. A Companion to the History of the Middle East. ed. Youssef M. Choueiri. Blackwell Publishing, 2005.
  • Bsheer, Rosie. “How Mohammed bin Salman has Transformed Saudi Arabia”. Erişim 5 Kasım 2024. https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/how-mohammed-bin-salman-has-transformed-saudi-arabia/.
  • Burns, James MacGregor. Leadership. New York: Harper and Row, 1978.
  • Büyükkara, Mehmet Ali. Çağdaş İslamî Akımlar. İstanbul: Klasik, 2015.
  • Clausen, Maria-Louise. “Saudi Arabian Military Activism in Yemen: Interactions between the Domestic and the Systemic Level”. Shifting Global Politics and the Middle East, POMEPS, 2019.
  • Cook, Michael. “Muhammed bin Abdülvehhab”. Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı İslam Ansiklopedisi 30. TDV Yayınları, 2020.
  • Cubelic, Danijel. “The Creative Kingdom: Economic Reform and Art as a New Space of Islamic Critique in Saudi Arabia”. Zeitschrift für Religionswissenschaft 27/1 (2019), 27-47. https://doi.org/10.1515/zfr-2018-0028.
  • Çınkara, Gökhan. “Prens Muhammed bin Selman’ın 2030 Vizyonu’nu Anlamlandırmak: Suudi Arabistan’da Teknokrasi, Milliyetçilik ve Yeni Ekonomi”. Avrasya Uluslararası Araştırmalar Dergisi 11/36 (2023), 93-121. https://doi.org/10.33692/avrasyad.1261909.
  • Del Sarto, Rafaella A. “Insecurity, Identity Politics, and the Restructuring of the Middle East”. Shifting Global Politics and the Middle East. POMEPS, 2019.
  • Grand, Stephen - Wolff, Katherine. Assessing Saudi Vision 2030: A 2020 Review. Atlantic Council Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, 2020.
  • Habibi, Nader. Implementing Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030: An Interim Balance Sheet (Report No. 127). Brandeis University Crown Center for Middle East Studies, 2019.
  • Hegghammer, Thomas. Islamist Violence and Regime Stability in Saudi Arabia. International Affairs 84/4 (2008).
  • Khashan, Hilal. “Saudi Arabia’s Flawed “Vision 2030”. Middle East Quarterly (2017).
  • Kinninmont, Jane. “Political Change in Saudi Arabia”. IEMed Mediterranean Yearbook 2018. European Institute of Mediterranean, 2018.
  • Lacroix, Stephane. “Saudi Arabia and the Limits of Religious Reform”. The Review of Faith & International Affairs 17/2 (2019), 97-101. https://doi.org/10.1080/15570274.2019.1608650.
  • Lynch, Marc - Jamal, Amaney. “Introduction: Shifting Global Politics and the Middle East”. Shifting Global Politics and the Middle East. POMEPS, 2019.
  • Mabon, Simon. “It’s a Family Affair: Religion, Geopolitics and the Rise of Mohammed bin Salman”. Insight Turkey 20/2 (2018), 51-66.
  • Mati, Amine - Rehman, Sidra. Saudi Arabia's Economy Grows as it Diversifies. Erişim 6 Ekim 2024. https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2023/09/28/cf-saudi-arabias-economy-grows-as-it-diversifies.
  • Menoret, Pascal. How Saudi Suburbs Shaped Islamic Activism (Report No. 125). Brandeis University Crown Center for Middle East Studies, 2019.
  • Moshashai, Daniel vd. “Saudi Arabia Plans for its Economic Future: Vision 2030, The National Transformation Plan and Saudi Fiscal Reform”. British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies 47/3 (2020), 381-401. http://doi.org/10.1080/13530194.2018.1500269.
  • Muslu el Berni, Hazal. “The Power Paradigm of the King Salman Period: Building a Saudi Soft Power?”. Asian Journal of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies 17/2 (2023), 190-200. https://www.doi.org/10.1080/25765949.2023.2231251.
  • Neom. “What is Neom”. Erişim 27 Eylül 2024. https://www.neom.com/en-us/about.
  • Nurunnabi, Mohammad. “Transformation from an Oil-Based Economy to a Knowledge-Based Economy in Saudi Arabia: The Direction of Saudi Vision 2030”. Journal of Knowledge Economy 8 (2017), 536–564. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-017-0479-8.
  • Ottaway, David. Mohammed bin Salman: The Icarus of Saudi Arabia. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2021.
  • Özev, Muharrem Hilmi. “Nation Building in Saudi Arabia: From Rentierism to Territorial Nationalism”. İnsan ve Toplum 14/2 (2024), 164-188. http://doi.org/10.12658/M0735.
  • Sager, Abdulaziz. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Emerging Middle Power in Global Dynamics. Gulf Research Center, 2024.
  • Stenslie, Stig. “The End of Elite Unity and the Stability of Saudi Arabia”. The Washington Quarterly 41/1 (2018), 61-82. http://www.doi.org/10.1080/0163660X.2018.1445360.
  • Şarkul Avsat. “Suudi Arabistan’da Yüzde 15’e çıkarılan KDV Oranı Bugün Yürürlüğe Girdi” (1 Temmuz 2020), Erişim https://turkish.aawsat.com/home/article/2364276/suudi-arabistan’da-yüzde-15’e-çıkarılan-kdv-oranı-bugün-yürürlüğe-girdi.
  • Topal, Aylin. “Economic Reforms and Women's Empowerment in Saudi Arabia”. Women's Studies International Forum 76 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2019.102253.
  • Ulrichsen, Kristian Coates - Sheline, Annelle R. Mohammed bin Salman and Religious Authority and Reform in Saudi Arabia. Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy, 2019.
  • Weber, Max. The Theory of Social and Economic Organization. ed. Talcott Parsons. New York: Free Press, 1964.
  • World Bank. “Saudi Arabia”. Erişim 3 Kasım 2024. https://data.worldbank.org/country/saudi-arabia.
There are 45 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language Turkish
Subjects Policy and Administration (Other)
Journal Section Articles
Authors

Mehmet Alkış 0000-0001-6521-0701

Early Pub Date July 10, 2025
Publication Date June 30, 2025
Submission Date December 16, 2024
Acceptance Date March 26, 2025
Published in Issue Year 2025 Volume: 17 Issue: 1

Cite

ISNAD Alkış, Mehmet. “DIŞ VE İÇ SİYASET DİNAMİKLERİ AÇISINDAN SUUDİ ARABİSTAN’DA DEĞİŞİM SÜRECİ: MUHAMMED BİN SELMAN DÖNEMİ REFORMLARI”. Şarkiyat 17/1 (June 2025), 25-36. https://doi.org/10.26791/sarkiat.1602320.
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