Publication

This report looks at the position of Saudi Arabia after the Arab Spring. Regarding regime stability the author argues that even though the regime could avoid upheaval, the leadership's response to the 2011 uprisings did little to forestall future crises. Turning to the regional policy of the country he suggests that Saudi Arabia's record has been less than successful. The author here points to Iran's influence in Iraq and Hezbollah's power in Lebanon. Concerning the Saudi-US relations it is argued that, given all the changes as of 2012, it would be far better to acknowledge that the two countries no longer can expect to act in close concert.