Maintaining authoritarianism: the jerky path of political reform in Saudi Arabia

In: Orient: deutsche Zeitschrift für Politik, Wirtschaft und Kultur des Orients, Band 52, Heft 1, S. 29-42

Abstract

"Political reform in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is moving at a snail's pace. Moments of progress alternate with moments of reverse and, as is shown in the most recent survey of 'The Arab Democracy Index', the kingdom still ranks lowest - as before. The claim to be made in this article is that notwithstanding some modest but discernible measures of political 'liberalization', in particular since 2003, the Saudi regime forms an exemplary case of successfully modernizing authoritarianism in an autocratic context. This will be shown by using the inclusion-exclusion perspective, applied to two case studies: (1) relations between the state and the Sahwa; and (2) relations between the state and the Shia minority. The conclusion will be that, in the short to medium term, Saudi Arabia will not move beyond the confines of liberalized autocracy'." (author's abstract)