Asan in the News

2016JAN07

[tbs eFM] “Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran”

[tbs eFM]  2016-01-07

“Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran” 

Q.1 After Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran, Sunni-led countries such asa Bahrain, Sudan, UAE and Qatar have also either cut or downgraded ties with Iran. Do you think more countries will follow suit? What’s your take on this?

Q2. Saudi Arabia and Iran are on opposite sides in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen. Do you think Syria and Yemen will fall victims to the Saudi-Iran crisis?

Q3. Saudi Arabia and Iran are threatened by the same enemy, the Islamic State. Do you think the Saudi-Iran conflict will hinder the fight against the Islamic State?

Q4. How do you think the standoff will impact the Iran Nuclear Deal that was reached last year?

Q5. Global oil prices have dropped after new tensions between two of the world’s top producers erupted. How will the Saudi-Iran crisis affect the tumbling oil prices?

Q6. Do you think escalating tensions in the Middle East will have any impact on South Korea?

Q7. What can we expect to see in the days ahead? Do you think there will be any head-on military confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Iran?

Q8. Do you think relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran can be improved by peaceful talks? Final thoughts?

About Experts

Jang Ji-Hyang
Jang Ji-Hyang

Center for Regional Studies

Dr. JANG Ji-Hyang is a Principal Fellow and director of the Center for Regional Studies at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. Dr. Jang served as a policy advisor on Middle East issues to South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2012-2018). Previously, Dr. Jang taught comparative and Middle East politics at Seoul National University, Yonsei University, Ewha Woman’s University, and the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. Her research interests include political economy of the Middle East and North Africa, political Islam, comparative democratization, terrorism, and state-building. Dr. Jang is the author of numerous books and articles, including The Essential Guide to the Middle East (Sigongsa 2023 in Korean), The Arab Spring: Will It Lead to Democratic Transitions?(with Clement M. Henry (eds.), Palgrave Macmillan 2013), “Disaggregated ISIS and the New Normal of Terrorism” (Asan Issue Brief 2016), “Islamic Fundamentalism” (International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences 2008) and a Korean translation of Fawaz Gerges’ Journey of the Jihadist: Inside Muslim Militancy (Asan Institute 2011). Dr. Jang received a B.A. in Turkish studies and M.A. in political science from the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and her Ph.D. in political science from the University of Texas at Austin.