A Country Study: Saudi Arabia

• Saudi Arabia
• Foreword
• Acknowledgements
• Preface
• Country Profile - Visit updated Profile (PDF)
  • Country
  • Geography
  • Society
  • Economy
  • Transportation and Communications
  • Government and Politics
  • National Security
• Introduction

• Chapter 1 - Historical Setting (William Smyth)
  • The Setting of Saudi Arabia
  • Pre-Islamic Period
  • The Early Islamic Period, 622-700
  • The Middle Ages, 700-1500
  • The Saud Family and Wahhabi Islam, 1500-1850
  • 19th Century Arabia
  • The Rise of Abd Al Aziz, 1890-1926
  • Nation Building: The Rule of Abd Al Aziz, 1926-1953
  • The Reigns of Saud and Faisal, 1953-75
  • The Reign of Khalid, 1975-82
  • The Reign of Fhad, 1982-

• Chapter 2 - The Society and Its Environoment (Eleanor Abdella Doumato)
  • Geography
    • External Boundaries
    • Topography and Natural Regions
      • The Hijaz and Asir
      • Najd
      • Northern Arabia
      • Eastern Arabia
      • The Great Deserts
      • Water Resources
    • Climate
    • The Environment and the 1991 Persian Gulf War
  • Population
    • Saudis and Non-Saudis
    • Diversity and Social Stratification
    • Cultural Homogeneity and Values
    • Structure of Tribal Groupings
    • Tribe and Monarchy
    • Beduin Economy in Tradition and Change
  • Religion
    • Early Development of Islam
    • Tenets of Sunni Islam
    • Wahhabi Theology
    • Shia
    • Islamism in Saudi Arabia
    • Pilgrimage
  • Education
  • Healthy
  • Urbanization and Development

• Chapter 3 - The Economy (Fareed Mohamedi)
  • Economic Policy and the Structure of the Economy
    • Fundamental Factors that Transformed the Economy
    • Economic Policy Making
      • Economic Policy During the Oil Boom, 1974-85
      • Economic Policy after the 1986 Oil-Price Crash
      • Economic Policy in the 1990s
    • Five-Year Plans
    • Changing Structure of the Economy
  • Labor
  • Oil and Gas Industry
    • Brief History
    • Oil Industry in the 1990s
      • Structure and Organization
      • Crude Oil Production and Pricing Policy
      • Crude Oil Reserves and Production Capacity
      • Gas Reserves and Production Capacity
      • Crude Oil Production and Exports
      • Petroleum Refining Capacity, Production, Consumption, and Exports
      • Master Gas System
      • Upstream Development Plans
      • Downstream Development Plans
      • Hydrocarbon Sector Transport and Storage Facilities
  • Non-Oil Industrial Sector
    • Utilities
    • Mining and Quarrying
    • Manufacturing
  • Transportatoin and Telecommunications
    • Transportation
    • Telecommunications
  • Agriculture
    • Traditional Agriculture and Pastoral Nomadism
    • Modern Agriculture
  • Money and Banking
  • External Trade and Finance
    • Foreign Trade
    • Current Account
    • Capital Account
    • Foreign Assets and Liabilities

• Chapter 4 - Government and Politics (Eric Hooglund)
  • Structure of Government
    • The King
    • The Royal Diwan
    • The Council of Ministers
    • The Civil Service and Independent Agencies
    • The Legal System
    • Local Government
  • Political Dynamics
    • The Royal Family
    • The Ulama
    • Other Groups
  • Media
  • Foreign Policy
    • Regional Security
      • Relations with Iraq
      • Relations with Iran
      • Relations with the GCC Countries
      • Relations with Yemen
    • Relations with Jordan
    • Relations with the United States
    • Arab Nationalism
      • Arab Unity
      • The Palestinians
      • The Arab-Israeli Conflict
    • Islam

• Chapter 5. National Security (Jean R. Tartter)
  • Historical Role of the Armed Forces
    • Armed Struggle of the House of Saud
    • The Ikhwan Movement
    • World War II and Its Aftermath
    • Naval Warfare in the Persian Gulf, 1987
    • Persian Gulf War, 1991
  • Security Perceptions and Policies
    • The Military Threat
    • Collective Security under the Gulf Cooperation Council
  • Threats to Internal Security
  • The Armed Forces
    • Royal Saudi Land Forces
    • Royal Saudi Air Force
    • Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces
    • Royal Saudi Naval Forces
    • Saudi Arabian National Guard
    • Training
    • Personnel and Conditions of Service
    • Uniforms, Ranks, and Insignia
    • Military Justice
  • Defense Expenditures
  • Foreign Involvement and Influence
    • Cooperation with the United States
    • Cooperation with Other Countries
    • Western Cooperation in Domestic Arms Production
  • Public Order and the Justice System
    • Law Enforcement
    • Criminal Justice System
    • Crime and Punishment
    • Prison Conditions
    • Human Rights

• Appendix. Tables
• Bibliography
• Glossary