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Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s combustible mix of religion, nationalism, and tradition as well as contradictions in the kingdom’s projection of itself as a driver of moderate Islam and a major voice in combating discrimination and racism has sparked a heated debate on social media. How the mix plays out will ultimately spotlight the outcome of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman’s efforts to inject a significant dose of nationalism in a Saudi identity that historically has been shaped heavily by religion.
Increasing strains between Pakistan and its traditional Arab allies, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are about more than the Gulf States’ opportunistic targeting of India’s far more lucrative market. At the heart of the tensions, and potentially complicating Pakistan’s economic recovery, is India’s ability to help the Gulf States hedge their bets amid uncertainty about the continued US commitment to regional security.
Public opinion polling in the Arab world suggests that autocratic leaders like Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman and his UAE counterpart, Muhammad bin Zayed, have gotten some things right. Both men have to varying degrees replaced religion with nationalism as the ideology legitimizing their rule and sought to ensure that countries in the region broadly adhere to their worldview.

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