Who:
– Islamic monarchy with King and Prime Minister; officers primarily from the royal family
– Sunni-ruled kingdom governed by Sharia Law
– Controls holiest sites in Islam: Mecca (Jabal – al Nour and Masjid – al Haram)
– Population of about 28 million people
– Oil-rich area producing 11.6 million barrels a day – second largest oil producer in the world
Overview:
– Supplies money and weapons to rebel groups as regional Sunni power, sometimes through Turkey
– Seeks to counter Shi’ite Iranian influence as the regional Sunni power
Priorities:
– Wants Assad to step down from power
– Wants to destroy Syria-Iran alliance
– Distract Saudi’s from domestic problems
– Called for a “no-fly zone” over Syria
Support:
– Works with Turkey to support rebel groups
– Supports those who support promotion of Islamic religion
Political Associations:
– Part of the Gulf Cooperation Council with Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates
– Aligned with Western Powers and Turkey against Assad
– Took part in US-led air coalition against Islamic State
– Cut political ties with Iran
– Also in conflict with Yemen against Iranian supported Houthis
Criticisms:
– Funding of rebel groups generally
– High status families here arguably supported groups that grew into ISIS
– Failure to accept Syrian refugees
– Lied about number of refugees it hosts
– Has not signed UN Convention on Refugees
Resources:
http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49e486976.html (Links to an external site.)
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-23849587 (Links to an external site.)
http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/18/politics/russia-us-syria-talks-isis/ (Links to an external site.)
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/04/politics/saudi-arabia-iran-isis-syria/ (Links to an external site.)
https://www.saudiembassy.net/about/country-information/government/ (Links to an external site.)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-wagner/saudi-arabias-dark-role-i_b_3402447.html (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/06/world/gulf-monarchies-bristle-at-criticism-over-response-to-syrian-refugee-crisis.html?_r=0 (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)
http://www.ibtimes.com/after-paris-attack-saudi-arabia-other-regional-allies-under-pressure-take-greater-2185249 (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-saudi-idUSKCN0VA36T (Links to an external site.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/04/world/middleeast/iran-saudi-arabia-execution-sheikh-nimr.html?_r=0 (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)
http://carnegieendowment.org/syriaincrisis/?fa=59904
http://www.aljazeera.com/topics/country/saudi-arabia.html (Links to an external site.)