Muslim Countries in Asean and Thailand: Perceptions and Understandings of Saudi Arabia Through Contemporary Political, Economic, Social, and Cultural Relations

Abstract

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 has intensified the Kingdom’s engagement with Asia, yet research seldom compares its perceptions of individual ASEAN partners.This comparative case study analyses Saudi perceptions of Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei,   and Thailand during 2014–2024 by triangulating 420 policy documents, 5,130 media headlines, and  ten elite interviews. Guided by the Tower Framework—integrating constructivism, international political economy,  and geopolitics—the study operationalises a Hybrid-Power Metric (HPM) composed of Identity Capital (Iz), Foreign Direct Investment flows (Fz, measured in USD values), and Media Sentiment (Mz). Identity Capital is quantitatively measured through normalized Hajj quota allocations relative to Muslim population size, frequency of positive religious-identity references in Saudi official discourse, and symbolic status indicators such as OIC coordination and high-level religious diplomacy.

The findings reveal distinct perceptual profiles: Indonesia as a religious–political ally; Malaysia as a progressive economic–religious partner; Brunei as a stable ideological twin; and Thailand as a re-emerging economic gateway following the 2022 rapprochement.By demonstrating how religious identity is strategically instrumentalised to enable geoeconomic outcomes, this article advances constructivist theory and offers policy-relevant insights for strengthening GCC–ASEAN cooperation in a post-oil era.