Leading the counter-revolution: Saudi Arabia and the Arab Spring

Abstract: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has survived the revolutions in the Arab world largely unscathed and entrenched itself as the undisputed leader of the Arab monarchies and the wealthy oil- and gas-producing states. More broadly, though, Saudi and Gulf rulers' concerns about their restive populations meld with confessional tensions associated with the pre-existing conflict between Iran and its regional adversaries. Saudi Arabia and its allies interpret unrest among the Shiites in the Saudi Eastern Province and Bahrain not as protest movements against authoritarian regimes but as an Iranian plot to topple legitimate governments with the assistance of the Arab Shiites. Riyadh has long feared that Tehran aspires to hegemony in the Middle East, and has consequently been pursuing an increasingly determined anti-Iranian regional policy since 2005. Since spring 2011 Riyadh has adopted a twin-track approach. Firstly, the Saudis have worked to stabilise the Jordanian and Moroccan monarchies and b

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource, 27 S.
• Language: Englisch
• Notes: Veröffentlichungsversion ; begutachtet

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: SWP Research Paper ; Bd. 7/2014

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Politik

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (where): Berlin
• (when): 2014
• Creator: Steinberg, Guido
• Contributor: Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik -SWP- Deutsches Institut für Internationale Politik und Sicherheit

Further information

• URN: urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-396441
• Rights: Open Access unbekannt; Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 25.03.2025, 1:46 PM CET