Revolution in the Arab World - Observation of a lost soul Blog

foreign policy • revolution in the arab world • rumblings
2003, Abdullah and his supporters have attempted to promote national unity
through the institution of the National Dialogue, a conference that gives
Saudi citizens an opportunity to raise issues affecting the kingdom.
Yet, despite the new levels of openness enjoyed by Saudi citizens, Abdullah
is not leading the kingdom on the path to political liberalism. Just the
opposite: While making small social and economic concessions, the king
is in fact turning the clock back in Arabia, using his popularity to confront
clergy and restore the kind of unchecked authority his family enjoyed in the
1970s. Although the royal family has been the preeminent political force
in the Arabian Peninsula since the early 20th century, its supremacy was
challenged in 1979 by the spectacular siege of the Grand Mosque in Mecca,
which marked the rise of a generation of Islamist rebels. The kingdom’s
leaders responded by co-opting its radical critics. In doing so, they greatly
expanded the power of the religious establishment.
Thirty years on, it is this bargain that Abdullah has begun to dismantle.
And he is succeeding. Indeed, Abdullah’s most important domestic accomplishment
so far has been the strengthening of his and his family’s grip on
power.
Abdullah’s consolidation of authority has clear global implications, even
affecting Saudi Arabia’s relationship with the United States. Although the
longtime allies agree in principle on the importance of security in the Persian
Gulf, it is not clear that they share a common vision for how best to
achieve it. The Saudis continue to look to the U.S. military for protection
from regional threats—even though, arguably, the American war machine
has done much to destabilize the region in recent decades. In spite of security
expectations and assurances, there is considerable uncertainty as to
whether the two allies will continue to find common ground.
Ties between the two countries continue to be based primarily on the
stable flow of Saudi oil to global markets and the flow of Saudi petrodollars
into the pockets of U.S. weapons manufacturers. But while Saudi Arabia was
once willing to do the United States’ bidding, the kingdom under Abdullah
has been a complicated ally, willing to use its oil power to push back gently
against unpopular U.S. policies.
For instance, the Saudis opposed the invasion of Iraq in 2003, though
they eventually provided some logistical support. More importantly, Abdul-
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