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.”