ABSTRACT
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has entered the twenty-first century without major cataclysmic events, disproving doomsday prophecies. The recent Arab Awakening, propelled by the super modernising force' of the social media, has launched a veritable battle in favour of establishing a democratic regime. Saudi Arabia is a rentier economy, drawing the bulk of its GDP from natural resources, and has not been able to convert itself from inherited wealth to acquired or created wealth. Oil wealth flowing into the kingdom increased from $682 million in 1960 to $285 billion in 2014 annually, but the authorities have failed to channel it into promoting a balanced and diversified economy. Marriage instability is also growing: every fifth marriage ends in divorce. According to a report by the Ministry of Social Affairs, published in February 2012, in 2011, the divorce rate increased by 35 per cent, making it higher than the global average of 1822 per cent and the second-highest in the world.
