The Desert Kingdom

{
  "authors": [
    "Christopher Boucek"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "MEP",
  "programs": [
    "Middle East"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Saudi Arabia"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Security"
  ]
}

In The Media

The Desert Kingdom

Saudi Arabia is a major U.S. ally among Arab nations, yet most Americans know little about its modern system of governance or its ruling monarchy. Under reformer King Abdullah, Saudi society is changing.

By Christopher Boucek

Published on Oct 26, 2009

Source: WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi Show

Over the course of the past 80 years, Saudi society has undergone an amount of change that most societies experience over a period of hundreds of years. Christopher Boucek remarks, “In the span of living memory, Saudi Arabia has gone from a place where many people didn’t even wear shoes to a first world petrol power.” Dealing with this transformation and other issues such as Islamic extremism, political reform and the solidification of the state has produced a dynamic and sometimes volatile society. In effect, “Saudi Arabia is like a huge human laboratory,” says Boucek.

Alongside its numerous domestic issues, Saudi Arabia is an important and active player in regional Middle East politics. King Abdullah has engaged in an activist foreign policy to advance Saudi interests in the region. The Saudis also have instituted a counter-terrorism policy that has been largely successful in rehabilitating terrorists. Yet, this model may not necessarily work for other countries in the region. As Boucek suggests, “It is a Saudi solution for a Saudi problem.”

Security Saudi Arabia

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Europe

Commentary
Strategic Europe
To Survive, the EU Must Split
Leaning into a multispeed Europe that includes the UK is the way Europeans don’t get relegated to suffering what they must, while the mighty United States and China do what they want.
Rym Momtaz
Commentary
Emissary
Unpacking Trump’s National Security Strategy
Carnegie scholars examine the crucial elements of a document that’s radically different than its predecessors.
+18
James M. Acton, Saskia Brechenmacher, Cecily Brewer, …
Commentary
Strategic Europe
Europe Faces the Gone-Rogue Doctrine
The hyper-personalized new version of global sphere-of-influence politics that Donald Trump wants will fail, as it did for Russia. In the meantime, Europe must still deal with a disruptive former ally determined to break the rules.
Thomas de Waal
Commentary
Europe’s American Predicament
Between Greenland and U.S. interference in Europe’s democracies, transatlantic relations risk rising to an unprecedented level of crisis. Amid continued arguments on how Brussels should react, tough times lie ahead for European leaders.
Marc Pierini
Commentary
Strategic Europe
Taking the Pulse: What Issue Is Europe Ignoring at Its Peril in 2026?
2026 has started in crisis, as the actions of unpredictable leaders shape an increasingly volatile global environment. To shift from crisis response to strategic foresight, what under-the-radar issues should the EU prepare for in the coming year?
Thomas de Waal

More Work from Carnegie Europe

Commentary

Strategic Europe

To Survive, the EU Must Split

Leaning into a multispeed Europe that includes the UK is the way Europeans don’t get relegated to suffering what they must, while the mighty United States and China do what they want.

Rym Momtaz

Commentary

Emissary

Unpacking Trump’s National Security Strategy

Carnegie scholars examine the crucial elements of a document that’s radically different than its predecessors.

- +18
James M. Acton, Saskia Brechenmacher, Cecily Brewer, …

Commentary

Strategic Europe

Europe Faces the Gone-Rogue Doctrine

The hyper-personalized new version of global sphere-of-influence politics that Donald Trump wants will fail, as it did for Russia. In the meantime, Europe must still deal with a disruptive former ally determined to break the rules.

Thomas de Waal

Commentary

Europe’s American Predicament

Between Greenland and U.S. interference in Europe’s democracies, transatlantic relations risk rising to an unprecedented level of crisis. Amid continued arguments on how Brussels should react, tough times lie ahead for European leaders.

Marc Pierini

Commentary

Strategic Europe

Taking the Pulse: What Issue Is Europe Ignoring at Its Peril in 2026?

2026 has started in crisis, as the actions of unpredictable leaders shape an increasingly volatile global environment. To shift from crisis response to strategic foresight, what under-the-radar issues should the EU prepare for in the coming year?

Thomas de Waal