Middle East Regional Security Complex from the Perspective of Turkey-Saudi Relations: 2002-2016

This article seeks to study changes in Turkey-Saudi relations from the perspective of the theory of regional security complex and to examine the impact of regional developments on Ankara-Riyadh economic, political and military mutual ties from 2002-2016. This period represents a combination of rivalry and cooperation between the two nations.
The author looks at the improved Turkey-Saudi relations following the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, divergence in their relations after the Egyptian revolution in 2013, and a high degree of convergence on the Syrian crisis since 2015. The articles reviews briefly a history of political, economic and military relations between the two nations within the past 15 years. The second section of the article deals with foreign policy orientations of Turkey and Saudi Arabia before and after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, during the Lebanese crisis, and following the Arab Spring in the Middle East.