The patterns of the Sudan foreign policy behaviour towards Saudi Arabia, 1985-1992

This is an analytical study of the patterns of the Sudan for~ign policy behaviour
- 1-;-
towards Saudi Arabia, For the period l985 -1992 ;·\
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The main question the study tries to answer, is " what are the most significant
variables in explaining the patterns of Sudan foreign policy behaviour towards Saudi
Arabia for the mentioned period? "
Because of the variety of variables in the field of foreign policy studies, with
their three main dimensions :internal , external , and psychological , this study begins
from the hypothesis that : the economic factors variable and the political system
variable are the most significant ones in explaining Sudan foreign policy behaviour
towards Saudi Arabia for the period 1985 - 1992 .
The information of this st1:1dy consists~of primary data which the researcher has
collected from the official records of the Republican palace, Khartoum ; The General
Secretariat , Council of Ministers , Khartoum and the ministry of foreign Affairs,
Khartoum ; in addition to personal interviews of some important officials of the
Sudanese foreign policy .
Two approaches of modern foreign policy analysis are used in this study .
These are the analytical approach that deals with the ( national interest Concept) , and
the foreign policy decision - making approach which deals with crisis management.
This study consists of three main parts and a conclusion . The first part
illustrates the theoratical background of the study, in three chapters. The first chapter
introduces a methodological introduction . The second explains the foreign policy
variables and their impact on Sudanese foreign policy -making . The third chapter
explains the main issues in the Sudanese -Saudi relations.
The second part, reviews, in two chapters, the foreign policy of the Sudan
towards the kingdom of Saudi arabia, for the period 1985 -1989 . The first chapter
studies the foreign policy of the Sudan during the period of the Transitional Govement
( 1985 - 1986), the second chapter studies the period of DEmocracy ( 1986 - 1989).
The third part of the study deals with the foreign policy of the Sudan towards
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the period 1989 - 1992 . it comes in two chapters ,
the first covers the first phase: ( from July 1989 to July 1990 ) , the second chapter
covers the second one : ( From August 1990 to December 1992) .
The most important findings of the study validate it's major hypothesis , that
the economic factors variable and the political system variable are the most significant
variables in explaining the Sudan foreign policy behaviour towards Saudi Arabia for
the period which the study covers.