Saudi Arabia. New challenges to the kingdom

Occupation: President Emeritus of IAS RAS
Affiliation:
Institute for African Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences (IAS RAS)
Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University)
Address: Moscow, 30/1, Spiridonovka Str., Moscow, 123001, Russian Federation

Journal name

Asia and Africa Today

Edition

Issue 9

Pages

53-69

Abstract

The deployment of armed forces of the US and its allies on the territory of Saudi Arabia in 1990 and their war against Iraq in 1991 strengthened American dominance in the region and at the same time revealed previously concealed internal contradictions in Saudi society. A divide between the pro-monarchy and anti-Saudi movements became evident. It resulted in an ideological struggle between former allies - the Wahhabis and the Muslim Brothers - inside and outside the kingdom. The Islamist discourse of the Brothers and Sahwa movement (a sort of hybrid of Wahhabism and Muslim Brotherhood ideology) manifested itself in questioning the legitimacy of the Saudi rule and promoting a general anti-American attitude. Those contradictions gave birth to Al-Qaeda, which declared a global jihad against the West and the monarchies of the Persian Gulf.

The September 11, 2001 attacks in New York gave Washington an excuse to invade Afghanistan and then, after a successful blitzkrieg there, encouraged the US to begin a war in Iraq under the fake pretext of Iraqi plans to develop all kinds of weapons of mass destruction. Consequences for the Saudi government included the strengthening of Sunni - Shiite contradictions inside the kingdom and in the region as well as an explosion of terrorism inside Saudi Arabia.

After the establishment of the Shiite majority government in Iraq, the Sunni - Shiite contradictions have turned into a cold war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. This situation aggravated the instability in the Middle East and precluded potential compromises.

Keywords

Saudi Arabia, the Saudi political structure, the Gulf War, the invasion of Iraq, “Wahhabis”, “Muslim brothers”

Received

10.07.2022

Publication date

13.09.2022

Number of characters

73501

Cite

GOST	Vasiliev A. Saudi Arabia. New challenges to the kingdom // Asia and Africa Today – 2022. – Issue 9 C. 53-69 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://asaf-today.ru/S032150750021785-5-1 (circulation date: 03.05.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S032150750021786-6
MLA	Vasiliev, Aleksei M "Saudi Arabia. New challenges to the kingdom." Asia and Africa Today 9 (2022):53-69. DOI: 10.31857/S032150750021786-6
APA	Vasiliev A. (2022). Saudi Arabia. New challenges to the kingdom. Asia and Africa Today (9), pp.53-69 DOI: 10.31857/S032150750021786-6

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