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Article: Too little and 32 years late. (political reform in Saudi Arabia)
- Article from:
- The Nation
- Article date:
- April 13, 1992
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1992 The Nation Company L.P. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Last month's royal decrees mandating constitutional and administrative reform in Saudi Arabia represent the first chinks in the armor of monarchical autocracy and Islamic fundamentalism that have girded the kingdom since its founding sixty years ago. The decrees call for a Consultative Council of commoners nominated by the King, adherence to the rule of law and an enlarged body of princes to select a new monarch.
King Fahd ibn Abdul Aziz linked the reforms to "the momentous events in the recent past"--a thinly disguised reference to the seven-month-long gulf crisis and war of 1990-91. Armed conflicts do accelerate social change, and the Gulf War was no exception. ...