The Paradoxical Kingdom: Saudi Arabia and the Momentum of Reform by Daryl Champion ISBN 13: 9781850656685

Paperback. Very Good.

C. Hurst & Co, 2003. Paperback. New. 360 pages. 8.35x5.43x0.94 inches.

Paperback / softback. New. Saudi Arabia remains a closed society with its own interpretation of Islamic Law, an insistence on royal privilege and an uneven record on human rights. This study examines the paradoxes and considers the pressure for reform.

-C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd (2003)-. First paperback edition 2003 xxii+392 pages.Paperback. Very good indeed with some sunning to the spine. Saudi Arabia is not normally associated with the political instability and social turmoil for which many states of the Middle East are known, but this is changing. Politically astute opposition movements that emerged after the 1991 Gulf War have challenged the House of Saud in a way that the royal family has not previously encountered, and some of these have become radicalized and emboldened. This volume dissects the legitimacy structure constructed by the Saudi dynasty and the challenges posed by the reform movements after 1991. Daryl Champion argues that pre-existing indigenous Islamist groupings have been reconstructed since then, becoming better organized and more effective in their political campaign against the regime, a process undoubtedly aided by the Internet. The regime's responses to these challenges, including the traditional methods of repression… Read More