SAUDI ARABIA

What kind of land is saudi arabia?

(Arabian) Peninsula

(early history)Arabian Peninsula became a major

trade center between _____

• Mesopotamia and the Nile Valley.

Th birth of Islam the prophet…

Prophet Muhammad born in Makkah

What marked the start of the islamic calendar

Hijrah

key religious centers - 2 holy cities

1. Makkah

2. Madinah

Founded by Muhammad bin Saud and Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab.

crushed by ottoman empire (1818). what era is this?

• First Saudi State (1727–1818)

Turki bin Abdullah Al- Saud re established control in ____. the Al Saud rule persisted.. later fell to Ottoman-backed forces. royal family found refuge in Kuwait. what era is this?

• established control inRiyadh

• Second Saudi State (1824–1891):

son of exiled Abdulrahman, recaptured riyadh in bold raid. united peninsula tribes. he proclaimed Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abdulaziz Al-Saud

Abdulaziz Al-Saud set ___ as the official language and ___ as the constitution.

1. Arabic

2. Qu’ran and Sunnah

Saudi Monarchs and Modernization
hint; Kings ASFKFAS

Political System and Structure

• Absolute Monarchy

  • King wields executive, legislative, judicial powers.

appointed council / advisory

• Council of Ministers and Majlis ash-Shura

Judiciary based on

• Sharia.

Political Culture

• Deeply tribal and patriarchal society.

• Strong loyalty to royal family.

• Limited reforms in women’s rights and public

  freedoms.

State religion

• Islam is state religion, strict Wahhabism

  interpretation.

____ is purely advisory, appointed by King.

Majlis ash-Shura:

only form of elections, as there is no national elections

• Municipal elections held (limited

  authority).

when were women given sufferage

• Women allowed to vote and run

  since 2015.

Political Parties and Interest Groups

• Political parties banned.

• Tribal and religious consultations informal.

• Civil society organizations exist but are tightly controlled.

• No institutionalized opposition.

Status of media and Political Communication

• Heavy media censorship and

  surveillance.

• socmed supression

• self censorship

stance on Russian Invasion of Ukraine

• "Positive neutrality" stance.

stance on Israel's war on Palestine

• Strong support for Palestinian statehood.

  • Arab Peace Initiative advocate.

• No normalization with Israel without a two-state solution.

current de facto ruler

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

washington post reporter in 2018 that was killed indicating supression of activism and free press journalism

• Jamal Khashoggi

why is saudi arabia considerd as a strong middle east power (geopolitics)

• oil wealth

• strategic position in gulf

humanitarian crisis caused by war with..

Yemen vs Saudi Arabia 2015

differentiate council of ministers vs shura council

• council of ministers: appointed by king, assists in executing policies

• consultative assembly /shura council: majlis ash- shura —> consultative body of 150 members, appointed by king, reviews laws and advises (does not legislate)

Succession is decided by ___ they select the crown prince and the final decision rests with the king

• Allegiance council

outlines the governments structure but does not establish legislative supremacy

1. Basic Law of Governance (1992)

a forum where individuals may petition the king or local governors

• Majlis System

(modernization) aims to diversify economy and modernize country

Vision2030