What is happening in Saudi Arabia is very much related to the "Arab Spring". Most of the Middle East was ruled by fairly brutal Dictators. The population, with the support of the West started to have mass demonstrations for Democratic government.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Spring
By the end of February 2012, rulers had been forced from power in Tunisia,[1] Egypt,[2] Libya,[3] and Yemen;[4] civil uprisings had erupted in Bahrain[5] and Syria;[6] major protests had broken out in Algeria,[7] Iraq,[8] Jordan,[9] Kuwait,[10] Morocco,[11] and Sudan;[12] and minor protests had occurred in Mauritania,[13] Oman,[14] Saudi Arabia,[15] Djibouti,[16] Western Sahara,[17] and Palestine. Weapons and Tuareg fighters returning from the Libyan Civil War stoked a simmering conflict in Mali which has been described as "fallout" from the Arab Spring in North Africa.[18]
I think that most people would agree that the "Arab Spring" was a failure. It's hard to point to anywhere that replacement of the Dictator resulted in a Free, Democratic Government and all to easy to point at the masses of people being killed in Libya, Egypt, Sudan and especially Syria.
Saudi Arabia basically ensured that it's population understood that revolution against the government equaled Death. The Saud Government can and has used tanks to crush protesters. As they demonstrated a few days ago, they will publicly and brutally kill anyone who disagrees with them.
The Saud Royal Family and the Wahhabi mission have had an agreement since the 1930s. The Wahhabi give the Saud family religious cover and the Saud family finances the Wahhabi projects in support of the Sunni faction of Islam. Currently, the largest financial supporter of ISIS is the Wahhabi mission, which, in reality, is the Saud Royal Family.
The problem is that the Saud Royal Family decided to kill off the competition in the Oil Industry. They couldn't tolerate the Canadian Oil Sands or the Shale Oil projects. The Saud Royal Family also knows that when they can no longer buy off the Wahhabi mission and their population - they will meet with a very messy, brutal end.
Their answer to both problems was to pump as much oil as they can, and to move the resulting money out of Saudi Arabia as fast as they possibly could.
The result is that Saudi Arabia is broke. The IMF says that they won't be able to support their population's living standard in 5 years. This is beginning to result in taxes in a country that has no income tax, no consumption/luxury tax, very few hidden taxes. The government recently raised the price of Gas from 16 cents to 24 cents a liter.
http://money.cnn.com/2016/01/05/news/economy/saudi-arabia-oil-budget-gas/
The gas hike is just the beginning. Water and electricity prices are also going up, and the government is scaling back spending on roads, buildings and other infrastructure.
Those cuts might sound normal for any government that is running low on cash. But it's especially problematic in Saudi Arabia because the vast majority of Saudis work in the public sector.
About 75% of the Saudi government's budget comes from oil. The price of oil has crashed from over $100 a barrel in 2014 to around $36 currently. Most experts don't expect a rebound anytime soon.
The Saudi government used its vast oil wealth to provide generous benefits to its citizens. When the Arab Spring rocked the Middle East in 2011, the Saudi king spent even more in an effort to subdue any discontent in the country.
The perks Saudis receive:
Here are some of the perks Saudis receive:
-Heavily subsidized gas (It used to be 16 cents a liter. Now it's gone up to 24 cents.)
-Free health care
-Free schooling
-Subsidized water and electricity
-No income tax
-Public pensions
-Nearly 90% of Saudis are employed by the government
-Often higher pay for government jobs than private sector ones
-Unemployment benefits (started in 2011 in reaction to the Arab Spring)
-A "development fund" that provides interest-free loans to help families buy homes and start businesses.
Saudi Arabia may have to start taxing its people
Now Saudi Arabia can't pay for all those benefits. It ran a deficit of nearly $100 billion last year and expects something similar this year, if not worse.
The International Monetary Fund recently predicted that Saudi Arabia could run out of cash in five years or less if oil stays below $50 a barrel.
"The Saudis have used their economic power to buy off their population," says Jordan, who is currently serving as diplomat in residence at Southern Methodist University.
He predicts Saudi Arabia may even have to start collecting an income tax or sales tax.
"Part of the leverage the regime has had on their people is that they don't impose taxes and therefore people don't expect representation," Jordan says. "But once they pay taxes, you're likely to see an increase in political unrest."
Unemployment is already high in the country. Official statistics put it at about 12%, but experts say it's likely much higher since many Saudis don't even look for work.
The executions were a delaying tactic. The Sauds were basically saying "revolution still means death". The Saud Royal Family wants a little more time to remove what is theirs from Saudi Arabia. They really do consider all wealth in Saudi Arabia to be theirs. Saudi Arabia is the result of wars of conquest by their great grandfather from 1918 onwards to about 1932/38 when the International community recognized the reality on the ground and granted that the Saud Royal Family controlled what we know as Saudi Arabia.
Many governments and journalists have recognized this truth for years. It's why the US was quick to react militarily in 1993 and 2003, it's why Canada participates in the anti-piracy/sanctions inspection patrols in the Persian Gulf. The West wants the Oil just as much as the Saud Royal Family wants to sell it before leaving Saudi Arabia. Leaving a vast reserve of Oil to the Wahhabi/Salafi fanatics is not what Western Governments have in mind. It's why the Trudeau Government has agreed to sell the armored vehicles to the Sauds - probably after a "real-politic" briefing by other western governments.
The problem for the Saud Royal Family, the Wahhabi mission and the desires of the Western Governments is Iran. Saudi Arabia has 25% or more Shia, many with direct family connections with Iran. The Shia in Saudi Arabia have been brutalized along with any other minority, any other dissenter with the Saud/Wahhabi order of things.
Now that the Saud Royal Family is cutting back their danegeld to the Wahhabi and the population, it's only a matter of time until they seek new homes in Western Nations. They already own substantial assets in America and Europe, what they want is the political cover so that courts won't order them to return money to Saudi Arabia.
http://news.nationalpost.com/full-c...udi-rift-with-iran-pits-zealot-against-zealot
http://qz.com/582465/saudi-arabia-is-paying-a-huge-price-for-its-war-on-shale-oil/
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/saudi-iran-feud-brian-stewart-1.3390971
