Resumen de Saudi Arabia: A regional power facing increasing challenges
Saudi Arabia is a key country in the Middle East region. Not only is it home to nearly a fifth of global oil reserves but it has also traditionally represented a bastion of stability in an unstable neighbourhood. In addition, it has been a reliable ally of the West against mutual enemies at least since the 1950s. That led to a tolerant attitude to the rather appalling human rights situation in the Kingdom, an absolute monarchy where the Sharia is the law of the land. However, things are changing due to the substantial drop in oil prices, a young and potentially restless population, disputes over succession, the conflicts in Syria and Yemen… In addition to the growing realisation that the Saudi regime has played a significant role in the propagation of an ideology, Salafi jihadism, which poses a clear threat in the Middle East and beyond.
