Making sense of Saudi Arabia is crucially important today. The kingdom's western province contains the heart of Islam, and it is the United States' closest Arab ally and the largest producer of oil in the world. However, the country is undergoing rapid change: its aged leadership is ceding power...

Unpacking the Saudi state : oil fiefdoms and their clients -- Oil fiefdoms in flux : the new Saudi state in the 1950s -- The emerging bureaucratic order under Faisal -- The 1970s boom : bloating the state and clientelizing society -- The Foreign Investment Act : lost between fiefdoms -- Eluding...

Intro -- Contents -- Preface -- List of Acronyms -- Dramatis Personae -- Introduction -- 1. Unpacking the Saudi State: Oil Fiefdoms and Their Clients -- Part I: Oil and History -- 2. Oil Fiefdoms in Flux: The New Saudi State in the 1950s -- 3. The Emerging Bureaucratic Order under Faisal -- 4....

The changing political situation in the Middle East poses challenges for the economies of the region, and some see none more vulnerable to collapse than Saudi Arabia's. Yet as this study demonstrates, the fundamentals of the Kingdom's economy are relatively robust, as over three quarters of GDP...