The oil war

The Saudi dynasty, a symbol of stability, is playing regional and international politics trusting in the endurance of Arab Sunni Islam.

On 24 January, the White House announced that Barack Obama would cut his trip to India short to fly to Riyadh and offer his condolences to the new Saudi ruler, King Salman, for the death of his predecessor King Abdullah, who passed away the day before at the age of 91.

The sudden change in the US president’s travel plans did not go unnoticed. Many commentators viewed it as a natural consequence of Saudi Arabia’s expanded influence in the Middle East following the Arab Spring.

In fact, while popular revolts sent heads of state rolling in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, and Syria entered an ongoing civil war, Riyadh was surprisingly unaffected by the protest movements. It was even credited with being an important mediator in its neighbours’ internal conflicts.
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