Tim Niblock

Muslim communities in the new Europe

Examines the evolving fate of Europes Muslims, comparing the status, role and perceptions of these communities across Eastern and Western Europe.

State, society and economy in Saudi Arabia

1. Introduction Tim Niblock 2. The Ideological Basis: Ibn Abd al-Wahhabs Muslim Revivalism Derek Hopwood 3. The Precarious Monarchy: Britain, Abd al-Aziz ibn Saud and the Establishment of the Kingdom of Hijaz, Najd and its Dependencies, 1925-1932 Peter Sluglett and Marion Farouk-Sluglett 4. King Abd al-Azizs Changing Relationship with the Gulf States during the 1930s Rosemarie Said Zahlan 5. Social Structure and the Development of the Saudi Arabian Political System Tim Niblock 6. Secular and Religious Opposition in Saudi Arabia James Buchan 7. A Curious and Close Liaison: Saudi Arabias Relations with the United States Fred Halliday 8. Aspects of Saudi Arabias elations with other Gulf States John Duke Anthony 9. Social Change in Modern Saudi Arabia Shirley Kay 10. Secularisation as a Means of Detribalisation: Some Policies of the Saudi Arabian Government Towards the Nomads Ugo Fabietti 11. The Domestic Political Economy of Development in Saudi Arabia J.S. Birks and C.A. Sinclair 12. Saudi Arabias Oil Policy in the 1970s: Its Origins, Implementation and Implications Paul Stevens 13. The Saudi Arabian Petrochemical Industry: Its Rationale and Effectiveness H.G. Hambleton 14. The Evolution of the Saudi Banking System and its Relationship with Bahrain Rodney Wilson

Saudi Arabia’s Economic Development: Ambitious Visions, Difficult Dilemmas

The sharp rise in oil price is bringing a huge increase in the resources which the government of Saudi Arabia can spend on development. The government has responded by creating highly ambitious new development plans, with a vision of turning the country into a global industrial power by 2024. This article looks first at the historical record of oil booms in Saudi Arabia, focusing in particular on what happened in the first oil boom (1973-82). While the latter boom did see substantial development in specified fields, it failed to lead on to sustainable non-oil development. The article contends that there is reason to believe that the new developmental vision is well-grounded in reality. This is mainly because Saudi Arabia’s accession to the WTO will give Saudi petrochemicals better access to world markets. Due to the character of the labor market, however, Saudi Arabia’s emergence as a global industrial power (based on petrochemicals) will not resolve some of the country’s most pressing social problems.

Problems and Opportunities for China in Developing Its Role in the Gulf Region

Abstract: Peace and stability in the Gulf region are of critical importance to all states which have significant economic relations with the Gulf countries. They are particularly important when these relations can be described as involving a large measure of mutual dependence. China’s economic relations with the Gulf countries have that character, given the Gulf’s critical need to export oil, and China’s long-term requirement for oil imports from the region. Whereas Western countries have sought to protect their interests in the Gulf by military engagement, China has wisely avoided that course of action. That might seem to leave China with less leverage to protect its interests there, but this need not be so. China has an alternative means at its disposal. Mutual dependence conveys a kind of soft power. The “Belt and Road” Initiative offers opportunities for all Gulf countries to deepen and widen their international economic engagement. Effective engagement in this, however, depends on the resolution of existing conflicts between Gulf countries. The existing economic relationship, complemented by what can be offered for the future, provide China with an effective channel to encourage reconciliation, creating the underpinning for peace and stability in the region.

What would a Post-Saddam Iraq Look Like?

The first point is that, although I am talking about the future, I must also talk about the past and the present. The future can only be predicted on the basis of an understanding of the dynamics of the situation. My second point is that the fact that I am talking about a post-Saddam Iraq should not be taken to indicate that I believe that a change in the regime in Iraq is imminent. My own experience actually suggests the opposite.