Islam Times - Saudi Arabia faces bleak future, real risk of demise

Islam Times - Saudi Arabia would finally face a revolt from the inside as people's voices for democracy and freedom start to rattle the shaky and unstable regime that "corrupt royals" have built on oil wealth, a political analyst from London says.

“The future of Saudi Arabia looks bleak because it is a complete autocracy ruled by a corrupt royal family which uses the whip and electricity and the sword to suppress all opposition,” said Rodney Shakespeare said.

The analyst said the Saudi Arabian government had managed to remain in power through its huge oil income and its economic strength which it uses to satisfy a “sufficient proportion of the population” which thinks its interests lie with supporting the corrupt and intolerant government.

Shakespeare said, however, that at some stage in future, Saudi Arabia is likely to come under high pressure as the modern communication technologies have enabled people to become more familiar with their democratic rights.

“There will come a situation where the need for people to express their views and acquire democracy will happen,” he said.

The expert said there was also the possibility that the United States and Israel as Saudi Arabia’s war-mongering allies would push the regime in Riyadh to launch a large military conflict in the Middle East which could accelerate the demise of the kingdom as it could lead to more chaos and uncertainty inside the country.

“All the time the Saudi-American-Israeli nexus is only too likely to make some ghastly geopolitical mistake,” he said, adding, “... and if that happens, then you can be sure that forces for liberation in Saudi Arabia will succeed in breaking out in the turmoil and chaos which will be inevitable in the situation.”

Shakespeare said history has seen recurrent cases of regime falls involving autocratic governments, adding that could be the case for Saudi Arabia and its royal rulers.

“You could find suddenly that autocracies ... come under huge pressure and may well get overthrown in one of those surprising, startling developments which happen in human affairs from time to time,” he said.