Politics and Society in Saudi Arabia: The Crucial Years of Development, 1960-1982

Sarah Yizraeli

Sarah Yizraeli deciphers the complex dynamics of a major Middle Eastern power by focusing on the role of Saudi royal family decision making in the building of a modern state. In great detail, she traces the internal deliberations that took place in the formative years of the kingdom, when the priorities and rule of the state were defined.

In a document known as the “Ten Point Programme,” first presented in a 1962 speech by Crown Prince Faysal, the royal family placed limitations on potential social change and thwarted any reform of the political system. This explains why, even though Saudi Arabia tries to mend past errors (particularly with regard to its educational system), the fundamentals of the regime fail to evolve. Whether Saudi Arabia can modernize without major social and religious upheaval remains to be seen, yet Yizraeli’s research tracks several key avenues the regime may follow and the possible responses of its powerful elite.

Related Subjects

• Middle East Studies

About the Author

Sarah Yizraeli is senior research fellow at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University. She has studied Saudi Arabia for many years, and is also the author of The Remaking of Saudi Arabia: The Struggle Between King Sa‘ud and Crown Prince Faysal, 1953–1962.

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