Explaining the Effect of Neo-Ottomanism on Turkish-Saudi Relations from 2011-2019 Emphasis on Qatar

As two strong players in the Middle East, Turkey and Saudi Arabia greatly influence the regional equations. In 2002, the Justice and Development Party's rise to power in Turkey profoundly changed the nation’s foreign policy. Ahmet Davutoğlu's ideas are known as “Neo-Ottomanism”. The 2011 Arab uprisings changed relations between the two countries from cooperation (since the Justice and Development Party's rise to power) to competition and conflict, with Turkey and Saudi Arabia adopting different and opposing policies towards Qatar. The main research question is, how has Neo-Ottomanism affected the regional relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia (emphasis on Qatar)? The main research objective is explaining how neo-Ottomanism affects the regional relationship between Turkey and Saudi Arabia (emphasis on Qatar). This descriptive-analytical study concludes that due to Qatar's support for Iran in the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council in 2017, Turkey and Saudi Arabia's conflict of interests on account of the Arab Spring and the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafist discourse led to the Turkey-Qatar coalition.