Comparing the Arab Revolts: Is Saudi Arabia Immune?

In: Journal of democracy, Band 22, Heft 4, S. 48-59

Abstract

Abstract:
When protests started spreading throughout the Arab world in January 2011, numerous observers argued that Saudi Arabia's turn would soon come. There was some truth to those expectations, as February and early March 2011 witnessed an unusual degree of protest activity by the Kingdom's standards. And yet, by mid-March, the regime had regained complete control of the situation. Who were the activists who challenged the regime and what did they want? And how did the regime manage to silence their protests? Does this episode mean that revolution is impossible in Saudi Arabia?