Is Saudi Arabia Heading for a Shift in Foreign Policy?

[Laelth]

1. This is a significant essay. Well worth reading.

A couple of key excerpts:

Riyadh believes the only way to stop the internal conflict in Syria is to wage a war against the Syrian government. The Saudi aversion to Bashar al-Assad has nothing to do with the conflict between Syria's secular government and the Saudi kingdom's rule by Islamic law, as some believe. The real explanation is more straightforward: Without Assad, gas and oil pipelines could run through Syria as far as the Mediterranean and not have to depend on the situation in the Gulf. Iran, Syria's ally and Saudi Arabia's worst enemy, controls part of the Gulf.

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The internal challenges facing the Saudi elite are equally serious, particularly the growing numbers of younger citizens who are turning away from Shariah law. A significant proportion of young people between 15 and 39 years old — 46 percent of the country’s 30 million inhabitants — are rejecting the law as laid down by the Salafist clergy and calling for more freedom.

Thanks for the post.

-Laelth