ABSTRACT
Two images of the Saudi political system exist together. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is sometimes shown as a monolithic country, where the rigidity of customs rules, and as an authoritarian regime where power is concentrated into the hands of the royal family without a gleam of hope for any alternative credible government. Saudi Arabia has also been presented as if the foundations of the royal family have been trembling since September 11th and as if both the fall of the al-Saud family and a change of regime were inevitable. Neither of these images reflects with exactitude the reality of the kingdom: the situation of the royal family is not that precarious nor is it true that there aren’t any opposition movements or changes taking place in the country.
