The Fear of Conspiracies and Military Conflict in the Middle East

This research proposal sheds light on an understudied, yet widespread, phenomenon in the international relations of the Middle East, that it is conspiracy theories and their impact on conflict dynamics in the region. The research adopts an interdisciplinary theoretical approach that engages with Political Psychology and International Relations to examine interrelations between the fear of concpiracies and foreign policy conduct. It focuses on group-based emotions and their impact on decision-making processes in the face of conspiracy theories. In attempting to explore these dynamics, the research employs a comparative case-study approach. Saudi Arabia's conflict with Iran, and Israel's conflict with Palestine both reveal a strong fear of conspiracies, and henceforth, constitute rich case studies. The reasearch will contribute to the nascent IR literature on emotions and ontological security. Establishing how and when conspiracy theories and related fears drive conflicts enhances scholarly understanding of the sources of conflict and escalation in the Middle East.