Why Simple and Clear Strategies Can Be Dangerous

The Case of US-Saudi Relations during Clinton’s Presidency
U.S.-Saudi relations have become a matter of numerous debates when the U.S. Senate passed the “9/11 bill”, and the so-called “28-page document” was declassified suggesting ties between former Saudi officials and the 9/11 hijackers. They provoked questions on how justified the position towards Saudi Arabia was during the period when terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda started their anti-American campaigns. This seminar aims to shed light on this issue by exploring the U.S. perception of Saudis during Clinton’s presidency.
Firstly, the paper presents a thematic analysis of statements made by key foreign policy decision-makers in Washington in order to illustrate the main features of the U.S. position. Then it juxtaposes these findings with the actual developments in the discussed period. As a result, it finds certain misconceptions in the U.S. government about Saudis. Finally, with the help of the Cognitive Schemata Theory the paper claims that these misperceptions are due to oversimplified categorizations and superficial historical analogies. What seemed to be a precise strategy was a misleading guideline for the U.S. government.
The upcoming seminar will also discuss how the findings of the paper can be applied to current events, such as “the Obama Doctrine” and the Syrian Crisis.
Alen Shadunts is a graduate of the MSc in International Relations (Research) program at The London School of Economics and Political Science - LSE. He specializes in Theories of International Relations and Foreign Policy Analysis. Alen’s research interests include Identity and Change in International Relations, Iranian Foreign Policy, and Social Constructivist and Post-Structuralist Theories in International Relations.
Alen is also an alumnus of the Master of Political Science and International Affairs program at the American University of Armenia and has Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Yerevan State University.
Organizer: AUA Political Science and International Affairs Program
Venue: PAB, 113W