ABSTRACT
This chapter suggests that the Saudi foreign policy decision making rests primarily in the politically independent decision-makers within the inner circle of the royal family. It discusses the personality and political perceptions of King Abdullah, who has held a powerful position in the formulation of Saudi foreign policy. King Abdullah Bin-Abdul Aziz was at the helm of the kingdom's domestic and foreign policy. His personality has left an indelible imprint on the Saudi public sphere, and on Saudi Arabia's approach to foreign affairs. The stability and form of political regime affects the formulation and implementation of foreign policy. Of the formal institutions involved in Saudi foreign policy formulation and implementation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, established in 1930, is probably the most significant. A substantial change in ministry personnel occurred when Prince Saud became foreign minister. Before him, the position had been held by Saudi diplomats and foreign policy advisers from other Arab countries.
