Maqbarat Al-Atrak: Saudi Arabia's Intervention in Yemen

Abstract

This thesis examines the Saudi Arabian intervention in Yemen in order to ascertain the motivations behind the choice to directly intervene. Existing research and literature covering this topic tends to be relegated to news media, with little academic attention being paid to the subject. The intervention is examined from structural realist, domestic-political, and neoclassical realist lenses to determine which is more effective in developing a more granular and nuanced understanding of the motivations behind the intervention. The author concludes that neoclassical realism is most effective in determining why Saudi Arabia chose to intervene in Yemen and contributes to the broader discussion around the role of neoclassical realism in international relations literature.