Saudi Arabia Needs to Change Course (Ray Takeyh, CFR)

The Middle East today is once more on the edge of implosion. The humanitarian catastrophe in Syria continues unabated, the Islamic State is on the march, and Russia remains the only great power with a serious presence in the region. Another state that is dangling precariously in the new Middle East is Saudi Arabia. The twin bases of the monarchy’s legitimacy — cradle-to-grave welfare provisions and religious orthodoxy — are both waning sources of authority. The changing complexion of the energy markets and the rise of alternative fuels means shrinking budgets for the kingdom at a time of a growing population. And historically, the monarchy’s internal stability has been most endangered when the region polarizes along competing ideologies. As the flatfooted and aging Saudi rulers confront dramatic threats to their rule, they may have neither the money nor the Islamist legitimacy to fend off their rising opponents.

http://www.cfr.org/saudi-arabia/saudi-arabia-needs-change-course/p37692