Paul Aarts is Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the Department of Political Science, University of Amsterdam. Gerd Nonneman is Reader in International Relations and Middle East Politics, University of Lancaster, and a former Executive

• The Editors The ContributorsTransliteration Introduction Paul Aarts and Gerd Nonneman Part I. IDEOLOGY AND CHANGEThe Wahhabi Ulama and the Saudi StateIslamo-Liberal Politics in Saudi Arabia Stephane Lacroix The War of IdeasMichaela Prokop Part II. POLITICAL ECONOMYSaudi Arabia's EconomyMonica Malik and Tim Niblock Segmented Clientelism: The Political Economy of Saudi Economic Reform Efforts Steffen Hertog From Private Sector to National BourgeoisiePart III. REGIME AND OPPOSITIONCircles of Power: Royals and Society in Saudi ArabiaMadawi Al-Rasheed Checks, Balances and Transformation in the Saudi Political System Iris Glosemeyer Political Opposition in Saudi Arabia Abdulaziz Sager The 'Cycle of Contention' and the Limits of Terrorism in Saudi Arabia Roel Meijer Part IV. EXTERNAL RELATIONSDeterminants and Patterns of Saudi Foreign PolicyCoping with Regional ChallengesPrince Abdullah's Peace Initiative Joseph Kostiner Understanding US-Saudi Relations Rachel Bronson Events versus Trends: The Role of Energy and Security in Sustaining the US-Saudi Relationship Paul Aarts CONCLUSIONS AND OUTLOOKA Triple Nexus: Ideology, Economy, Foreign Policy and the Outlook for the Saudi PolityPaul Aarts and Gerd Nonneman Index

"Aarts and Nonneman have organized the essays to complement one another in tone and content and to highlight both empirical and theoretical approaches." -Library Journal "Serves best as a source of information and some insight into the tactical questions facing the Saudi and U.S. ruling classes." -International Socialist Review "A thorough analysis of the country and of America's relationship with it... Useful for readers seeking to understand the complexities of Saudi society and U.S. interests." -Library Journal "A welcome and breathtaking burst of new knowledge. There is no volume today that contains so much useful material." -Joshua Teitelbaum,author of The Rise and Fall of the Hashemite Kingdom of Arabia "Many illuminating essays." -The Economist