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WHAT
IS THE SAUDI-U.S. RELATIONS INFORMATION SERVICE?
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Welcome to the new members of the Saudi-US Relations
Information Service mailing list. For more information
about the service please visit the website at: http://www.SaudiUSRelations.org
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| FOR
MEMBERS OF THE SAUDI-AMERICAN FORUM |
| The SUSRIS newsletter
will provide the same news, commentary, background
material and more that you were receiving in the
SAF newsletter. This change will not effect
delivery of Saudi-American Forum essays and action
alerts to you.
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Saudi-American
Forum |
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| DISCUSSION
FORUM |
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Look Who's Talking...
The Saudi-US Relations Information Service web
site features a discussion forum for you to post
your ideas, opinions and questions. To sign
on and speak up Click
Here. Among the current discussions:
US Forces in Saudi Arabia
"This week Gen Myers, Joint Chiefs Chairman,
said large numbers of US forces might not be
needed in the Kingdom after the Iraq war. One
would assume this refers to the (tactical air)
forces at Prince Sultan Air Base and wouldn't
change the pre-Desert Storm presence (i.e. USMTM
and OPM-SANG). Now that the war in Iraq is in the
"stabilization" phase how will
reductions of US forces play out in the
Kingdom?" Nikki D.
[more]
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| AN
ESSAY FROM THE SAUDI-AMERICAN
FORUM |
THE
ROLE OF THE EXTENDED FAMILY IN SAUDI ARABIA
by David E. Long |
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| Despite the furious
pace of change and modernization that has
occurred in Saudi Arabia over the last half
century, the traditional extended family -
parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, cousins and
grand and great grand parents still form the
basic unit of the society. Within the extended
family, traditional respect for age, gender
roles of men outside the home as providers and
women in the dominant role inside the home are
changing but still intact. The influence of the
extended family thus carries over into social
life, business and politics. Socially, the
Saudis still tend to socialize, marry, and
conduct business together.
A major reason for the resilience of the
traditional extended family structure is the
extraordinary strength of traditional Islamic
social, economic and political values. Although
behavioral patterns have changed with
mind-numbing speed, these basic values are
deeply held and are not likely to change rapidly
over time.
[more]
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| FACTOID |
"The Saudi
population is characterized by a high degree of
cultural homogeneity and by an equally high degree of
social stratification. In 1992 Saudi Arabia consisted of
four distinct regions and diverse populations. Each region
has sustained some measure of nomadic and seminomadic
population: as recently as 1950, at least one-half the
total population of the kingdom was estimated to be
nomadic. Tribal identities were paramount among the
nomadic population and among those in towns and villages
who recognized a tribal affiliation. "
SaudiCities.com
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| ON
THE BOOKSHELF |
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Saudi
Arabia Enters the Twenty-First Century
: The Political, Foreign Policy,
Economic, and Energy Dimensions
by Anthony H.
Cordesman
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Amazon.com
Book Description
As the world carefully
monitors tensions in the Middle East, Saudi
Arabia increasingly finds itself the center of
political scrutiny in both its internal and
external relations. This study looks beyond a
narrow definition of political stability to
examine the implications of Saudi Arabia's
changes in external relations with Iran and
Iraq, as well as its cooperation with the other
Southern Gulf States.
[Expected
release: June 2003]
Additional
information and advance ordering
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