Saudi Arabia: Power, Legitimacy and Survival Tim Niblock Saudi Arabia's role in the international arena has become increasingly critical to global peace and stability. The fight against international terrorism, the security of the Gulf region and the crucial pricing of oil are all issues where Saudi Arabia stands at the center of the world stage. This book is a timely guide to explaining the dynamics underlying political developments in Saudi Arabia. It covers the country's historical and religious background, its oil rentier economy and its international role, showing how they interact to create the dynamics of the contemporary Saudi state. The development of the state is traced through three stages: the formative period to 1962; the centralization of the state, and the initiation of intensive economic development, between 1962 and 1979; and the re-shaping of the state over the years since 1979. Emphasis is placed on the recent period, with particular attention given to the following areas: * The economic and foreign policy problems which now confront the state. * The linkages between Saudi Arabia and Islamic radicalism, with the relationship/conflicts involving al-Qaida traced through from events in Afghanistan in the 1980s * The impact of 9/11 and the 2003 Gulf War * the major problems facing the contemporary state and their solutions. With the death of King Fahd and the succession of Prince Abdullah who is facing international pressure to undertake reform, Saudi Arabia provides a unique and comprehensive understanding of this state at a crucial time. This book is essential reading for those with interests in Saudi Arabia and its role in Middle Eastern politics and on the international stage. Tim Niblock is Professor of Arab Gulf Studies at the University of Exeter. He has served as Director of the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at Exeter, and formerly as Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Durham.