Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
UNDERSTAND SAUDI ARABIA
TOP OF CHAPTER
Saudi Arabia Today
Since the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington on 11 September 2001 and the dis-
covery that 15 of the 19 accused hijackers were Saudi, the world's attention has focused on
Saudi Arabia. In 2003 and 2004, a series of widely reported Al-Qaeda terrorist attacks tar-
geted Westerners in Riyadh, Al-Khobar and Yanbu. As a result, the Saudi authorities have
been very keen to be seen to combat terrorism, even as they speak publicly in support of
widespread resentment on the Arab street towards Western policies and Western cultural in-
cursions. And for as long as security issues (in the form of international terrorism) and eco-
nomic issues (in the form of flowing oil) ally with Washington, Saudi Arabia will remain a
vital strategic partner to the West. Such are the contradictions of modern Saudi Arabia.
In August 2009, fighting and cross-border raids by Shiite Houthi Yemenis threatened to
draw Saudi Arabia into a regional war. Further, the so-called 'Arab Spring', which brought
regime change across North Africa, civil war to Syria and, perhaps most seriously, signific-
ant unrest in neighbouring Bahrain, was potentially another serious challenge for the Al-
Sauds. The usual mixture of repression and promises of reform has kept the instability at
bay, at least for now, but the Al-Sauds remain on their guard.
Amidst these wider geopolitical dramas, regional, tribal and sectarian allegiances also
stoke local discontent and the traditionally quiescent Saudi media has been sidestepped by
local uptake of satellite TV, which reports on the jockeying for power among the royal fam-
ily, their financial and social scandals and an increasingly restless Saudi youth.
The Saudi economy's dependence on oil exports (around 90% of export revenues) re-
mains a serious concern to the government, particularly as most estimates suggest that the
Kingdom has less than a century left before the pumps run dry. King Abdullah's education-
al reforms are aimed at diversifying the economy and addressing the Kingdom's stubbornly
high unemployment rate. Of all the current reforms underway in the Kingdom, it is this
overhaul of education that offers the best hope of preparing for an uncertain future.
