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=__ **A History of a Kingdom - Introduction** __= As understood through the U.S Department of State's website, Saudi Arabia occupies 1,960,582 million sq. km. (approximately one-fifth of the United States). The country has a population of 28.7 million; 23.1 million are native Saudis and 5.6 million are foreign nationals. A country governed by an absolute monarchy, Saudi Arabia has been ruled by Shari'a Law, within the Holy Qur'an, since it's beginning. Along with the rule of a king, there is a Council of Ministers and Consultative Council. However, these branches have been developed throughout the reign of different kings. Oil has contributed a great deal to Saudi Arabia's prosperous economy by bringing Saudi Arabia out of debt with the creation of the petroleum industry. The economy continues to flourish today with a GDP of $623 billion and an annual growth rate of 3.8%. The history of Saudi Arabia is diverse, and is shown on the BBC News article. This diversity comes because each king has brought a distinct element to the country during his reign. With the various kings Saudi Arabia was founded, a prosperous economy was developed, created international relationships, history is being made, and a population is growing. The kings of Saudi Arabia bring about new eras and help to define a dynasty.

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(Jessica & Lauren)

=__The Foundation of a Kingdom - Part I__=

** [[image:iah211dfall2011/King1.jpg width="150" height="215" align="left"]]Abd-al-Aziz (September 1932 - November 1953 **** ) **
According to the BBC News article and History of Saudi Arabia, the foundation of Saudi Arabia dates back to September in the year of **1932**. The King of the Hijaz in the Grand Mosque of Mecca, Abd-al-Aziz, unified areas under his control. Those newly unified territories, Hijaz and Nejd came to be known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. With foundation grew a new government and a new people. An Islamic base helped to give the Kingdom its absolute monarchy as government. From this point to the next the head of state and government remained to be one individual. This individual and his family, the “Royal Family” would pass the crown from one son to the next male successor within the family. In **1933** King Abd-al-Aziz's eldest son, Sa'ud, is named Crown Prince. As Crown Prince Sa’ud became next in line, leaving the Kingdom it’s next ruler. As the Crown’s fate had been sealed, the economic standing was now the focus. //** An Economy on the Rise **//

[[image:iah211dfall2011/SA_Oil.jpg width="334" height="188" align="right"]]
The source of the Saudi Arabian wealth is said to have come from its oil, as the Kingdom is the world’s largest oil exporter with its 25% of proven global reserves. Such a great success does not come with out planning. Prospecting of the land began in 1933. In ** 1938 ** oil was discovered, and production begins. Production was completed under the US controlled Arabian American Oil Company (ARAMCO). Along with economic wealth Saudi Arabia gained a significant amount of political influence. The people as a whole benefited, with this new found wealth they were able to grow extensively as a people. The population advanced in culture, and intellect. However, with new found funds came new ways to spend. At the same time, the government became increasingly wasteful and lavish. As stated through the History of Saudi Arabia on the Wikipedia website, despite the new wealth, extravagant spending led to governmental deficits and foreign borrowing in the ** 1950s. ** Such spending left much debt both locally and internationally totaling in an estimated amount of $200 million.

[[image:iah211dfall2011/king2.jpg width="153" height="201" align="left"]]King Sa'ud (November 1953 - November 1964)
In November of **1953** Saudi Arabia’s First King, King Abd-al-Aziz after a 21 year reign dies. As the kingdom is an absolute monarchy the Crown Prince Sa'ud Bin-Abd-al-Aziz Al Sa'ud became king. The new King Sa’ud’s brother, Faisal is named the new Crown Prince. In reference to Sa'ud's history as king, with an immense amount of debt accrued from his father, and Sa’ud’s lavish life style, the newly appointed king’s reign began in shambles. Efforts were made on his behalf to turn things around. In ** 1960 ** Saudi Arabia is a founding member of OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries). However, he engaged in a regional cold war, acting against Egypt, as he felt they were a threat. Through King Sa’ud’s rein an intense rivalry between him and his half-brother, Prince Faisal emerged. The rivalry was fueled by doubts in the royal family over Sa’ud's competence. As a result in **1964** November King Sa'ud is overthrown by his brother, the Crown Prince, Faisal Bin-Abd-al-Aziz Al Sa'ud.

(Lauren Moore)

=__An Oil Based Economy - Part II__=

[[image:iah211dfall2011/khaled.jpg width="166" height="237" align="left"]] King Khalid (March 1975 - June 1982)
(Christopher Blomberg & Jonathan Stamm)

=__Building Govt & Defense - Part III__=

King Fahd (June 1982 - August 2005) [[image:king-fahd.jpg width="182" height="229" align="right"]]
In June **1982** King Khalid died leaving his brother, Crown Prince Fahd Bin-Abd-al-Aziz Al Saud, to succeed him. King Fahd made a significant change to his title upon becoming king. Rather than calling himself "His Majesty" he became "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques" in a move to emphasize a stronger Islamic authority rather than secular rule. King Fahd followed a dynasty that began a growing economy and infrastructure. This only continued to grow under his reign. In **1995** he had a stroke causing him to step down for some time while the Crown Prince Abdullah took over. Within a year, however, King Fahd was able to resume his rule of state affairs. As stated in "The History of Saudi Arabia" page on the Saudi Embassy [|website], King Fahd was very humanitarian in his efforts to assist countries such as Somalia, Bosnia, and Afghanistan. Along with these, King Fahd had a large focus on resolving conflicts around the world. He placed a large focus on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. In **1981**, before he became King, he created an 8-point plan to resolve the conflict. This plan was adopted by the Arab League in **1982**. King Fahd also played an important role in fashioning an international coalition to drive Iraqi soldiers out of Kuwait when they invaded in **1990**. The largest international issue King Fahd was forced to deal with was the attacks of **September 11, 2001**. According to the [|BBC timeline], many of the planes' hijackers were from Saudi Arabia leaving the King to have a difficult time keeping good relations with the United States. Although tensions rose, Saudi Arabia continues to support the U.S. today. King Fahd made vast changes in Saudi Arabia's government. In **1992** he proposed the creation of a Consultative Council which would consist of one chairman and 60 members to advise the king. In December **1993** this proposition passed and has grown to consist of 150 members, chosen by the king, today. He also approved the first nationwide public elections; the first occurred in **2005** but women were not allowed to take part.
 * //A Love for the World// **
 * // Changes to Government //**

[[image:iah211dfall2011/Abdullah_of_Saudi_Arabia.jpg align="left"]]King Abdullah (August 2005 - Present)
On August 1, 2005 King Fahd died and Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud was inaugurated. In this year he closely monitored the new election process for the public councils. Coming in to a period of difficult international relations, King Abdullah has made a continuous effort in fighting terrorism. King Abdullah's focus as King has been very similar to King Fahd's. Even before he was King he had a strong interest in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. His proposal for a "comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace" was presented at the Beirut Arab Summit in 2002. This proposal, known as the Arab Peace Initiative, was accepted by the League of Arab States. Recently, King Abdullah has made a significant change in the election process of Saudi Arabia allowing women to vote and submit their candidacy in municipal elections. This move is being looked at as a large step toward the future in the country. According to an article on the [|businessweek website], s ome interpretations of Sunni Islam leave the country enforcing gender restrictions, however, this movement shows a change in the way laws are being carried out. In a [|BBC News article], King Abdullah states, "Because we refuse to marginalise women in society in all roles that comply with sharia, we have decided... to involve women in the Shura Council as members, starting from next term". Many people in government are conservative in their thinking still. This makes the process of these modern transitions slower, however, King Abdullah is working with them to the best of his ability. He continues to rule Saudi Arabia today, doing his best to keep up with the world and move towards peaceful and secure relations. (Jessica Leacher)
 * // Modernizing Government //**

//Works Cited//[[image:saudi-arabia-map.gif width="296" height="261" align="right"]]

 * Saudi Arabia
 * 1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Saudi_Arabia
 * 2) http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3584.htm
 * 3) http://www.saudiembassy.net/about/country-information/history.aspx
 * 4) http://www.saudiembassy.net/about/country-information/government/
 * Kings of Saudi Arabia
 * 1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_Saudi_Arabia
 * 2) http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/yemen.htma
 * 3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahd_of_Saudi_Arabia
 * 4) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saud_of_Saudi_Arabia
 * 5) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_of_Saudi_Arabia
 * 6) []
 * 7) []
 * Time Line(s)
 * 1) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14703523
 * 2) @http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1017886/posts

(Lauren & Jessica)