Factors That Allow Saudi Arabia to Maintain and Preserve Its Power within the Region - Case Study Example

The dependency on religious scholars in Saudi shifted in the 1970s when economic development from oil revenues proved too profitable to prompt the government to take on the new approach. The plan to move away from religious support by the government failed miserably. According to T.C Jones (2011), the stability of the Royal Family was threatened by religious scholars when the plan to confiscate the Holy Mosque in Makkah saw the congregation of religious rioters.

Since there are no democratic elections that take place in Saudi, there are no political parties or a formal constitution. Critics from outside Saudi Arabia cannot accurately understand the government’s popularity within the state. In other words, the king’s powers are consensual and restricted, meaning that this limitation stems from other power sources within the Royal Family like Saudi traditions, the Ulema, and religious practices. Nations, mostly from the West do not recognize the Saudi government’s system as legitimate mainly because those in power are not elected, despite the fact that the Royal Family has always sought nationwide acceptance (Cordesman, 2003).

There is one reliable political tool that runs Saudi Arabia and it is Sharia law. The role of sharia is to define the parameters of the predefined political processes and aspects while also providing the kingdom’s elite and Royal Family with flexibility in matters that are not against the law. History notes that previously, Saudi Arabia did not have either a written constitution or an institution based on the constitution because the kings believed that Sharia law, which is rooted in the Quran would protect the citizens by providing social justice.

In 1979, King Fahad initiated for Saudi Arabia, a basic system of rule following the attacks in Makkah on the Holy Mosque. This saw the formation of a committee of eight men that were required to draft a constitution that consisted of 200 articles. The committee was led by Prince Naif who was Minister of the Interior at the time and by 1981, the new constitution had yet to be written. There are several factors that allow Saudi Arabia to maintain and preserve its power within the region.