A Westphalian Treaty Between Saudi Arabia and Iran With China as a Guarantor

ABSTRACT This paper outlines a plan of action for employing legislative tools of the Treaty of Westphalia with China as a guarantor for settlement of sectarian conflicts between Saudi Arabia and Iran. It argues that modern day Saudi‐Iran dynamics and 17th century Europe bear similarities; however, differences also exist. Therefore, relevant provisions of the treaty, including settlement of religious conflicts and a guarantor mechanism, may be useful for formalizing peace between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The paper employs comparative historical analysis of primary and secondary data to establish parallels between the two cases. It concludes that global powers such as the US and Russia can no longer balance Saudi‐Iran relations and China may be best suited as an external guarantor of peace between Saudi Arabia and Iran.