Since the outbreak of the Arab uprisings, the MENA region has witnessed a pro-active diplomacy exercised by the GCC countries, more specifically by Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Both monarchies, while being part of the same regional security sub-complex (Buzan & Waever, 2003), have implemented different strategies in their reaction to the new regional environment. However, we have also observed a considerable degree of harmonisation of positions between Saudi Arabia and Qatar in their policies toward some uprisings. By employing the National Role Conception theory (Holsti, 1970), the proposed paper will analyze why did the foreign policies of Riyadh and Doha toward the Arab uprisings converge in some cases and diverge in others. The paper will focus on the uprisings in three countries: Egypt, Bahrain, and Libya; and will explore how the policies of the two Gulf monarchies reflect different self-conceptions of national role.
