Politics and Society in Saudi Arabia

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The events of 9/11 stunned the West and shed new light on Saudi Arabia. Questions were raised about what had driven Saudis – after decades of development and economic expansion – to embrace radical views, display such virulent hatred, and above all, become involved in a terror attack against the US.

This book provides readers with the essential context and background for a real understanding of modern Saudi Arabia. Yizraeli examines a rarely-studied topic: Saudi royal family decision-making in the process of building a modern state. She tracks in detail the internal deliberations in the formative years of development in the Kingdom, when priorities were defined. This unique strategy was first formulated by the royal family in a document known as the 'Ten Point Programme', which was delivered in a speech (November 1962) by Crown Prince Faysal. In practice, this strategy placed severe limitations on potential social change and thwarted any reform of the political system that might have been expected had such development been carried out by more western-oriented countries.

While Saudi Arabia today tries to mend past errors, particularly in its educational system, the fundamentals of the regime have remained as they were shaped during the formative decades of development. Whether Saudi Arabia will be able to modernise its society without social and religious up-heaval still remains to be seen, but the course this modernisation takes will be determined by the events outlined in this book.