Political succession in Saudi Arabia: Systemic stability and security implications
Title:
Political succession in Saudi Arabia: Systemic stability and security implications
Author:
Ahrari, M. Ehsan
Appeared in:
Comparative strategy
Paging:
Volume 18 (1999) nr. 1 pages 13-29
Year:
1999-01
Contents:
The closed Saudi political system creates uncertainties about the eventual political succession that can have an enormous impact on Saudi foreign and defense policy. By the 1990s, the second generation of Saudi princes (grandsons of Abdul Aziz, the dynasty founder) had come of age and were included in the succession by the 1992 Basic Law, which stipulated that each king could name his heir apparent. However, each successor will have to strive to build his own personal legitimacy. A number of seething domestic conflicts, along with economic constraints, promise to make Saudi Arabia an explosive society, especially if the regime takes no corrective measures to satisfy the policy, social, and economic demands of dissident groups.
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