The Impact of Regional Variables on Iraqi-Saudi Relations after 2015

Abstract

Although Iraq and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have many common ties, such as geographical proximity, religious closeness, and economic weight, the relations between them have always been characterized by instability and fluctuation, as they are not at the same pace, they are between push and pull, and interruption. After changing the previous political regime in Iraq in 2003, those relations did not improve. Mr. Haider al-Abadi assuming the presidency of the Council of Ministers in 2014 in Iraq sought, with serious steps, to improve Iraq's relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and with the Arab Gulf countries as a whole. This prompted the Saudi side, coinciding with King Mohammed bin Salman's accession to power in 2015, to take the same steps with the Iraqi side, as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia worked hard to improve and develop its relations with Iraq in the future.