العربية 
English 
Description
Saudi Arabia in the Balance: Political Economy, Society, Foreign Affairs
Saudi Arabia in the Balance brings together today’s leading scholars in the field to investigate the domestic, regional, and international affairs of a Kingdom whose policies have so far eluded the outside world.
With the passing of King Fahd and the installation of King Abdullah, a contemporary understanding of Saudi Arabia is essential as the Kingdom enters a new era of leadership and particularly when many Saudis themselves are increasingly debating, and actively shaping, the future direction of domestic and foreign affairs.
Each of the essays, framed in the aftermath of 9/11 and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, offers a systematic perspective into the country’s political and economic realities as well as the tension between its regional and global roles.
Important topics covered include U.S. and Saudi relations; Saudi oil policy; the Islamist threat to the monarchy regime; educational opportunities; the domestic rise of liberal opposition; economic reform; the role of the royal family; and the country’s foreign relations in a changing international world.
contents
introduction
PART ONE: Ideology and change
The Wahhabi ulama and the Saudi state: 1745 to the present
Islamo-liberal politics in Saudi Arabia
The war of ideas: education in Saudi Arabia
PART TWO:Political economy
Saudi Arabia’s economy: the challenge of reform
Segmented clientelism: the political economy of Saudi economic reform efforts
From private sector to national bourgeoisie: Saudi Arabian business
PART THREE:Regime and opposition
Circles of power: royals and society in Saudi Arabia
Checks, balances and transformation in the Saudi political system
Political opposition in Saudi Arabia
The “cycle of contention” and the limits of terrorism in Saudi Arabia
PART FOUR:External relations
Determinants and patterns of Saudi foreign policy: “omnibalancing” and “relative autonomy” in multiple environments
Coping with regional challenges: a case study of crown prince Abdullah’s peace initiative
Understanding US-Saudi relations
Events versus trends: the role of energy and security in sustaining the US-Saudi relationship
Saudi Arabia in the Balance: Political Economy, Society, Foreign Affairs
