This book sheds new light on the critical importance of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), a remarkably successful central bank that is a model for developing oil exporters worldwide. As a "swing producer", Saudi Arabia has traditionally stepped in to make up for oil supply shortfalls in other OPEC countries, or to scale back their own production when overabundance might lead to a price crash. Since 2014, Saudi Arabia has changed its policy in response to the rise of American shale oil, in search of a long-term strategy that will, once again, help balance supply and demand at a steady price. In its informal dual role of central bank and sovereign wealth fund, SAMA must navigate the paradoxes faced by monoline oil producing countries: the need for diversification vs. dependence on oil-based revenue; the loss of foreign exchange reserves that follows oil-financed government spending; the unreliability of revenue from oil; the challenges of using a Western model for supervising Shariah-compliant banks; and the need to have a balancing mix of oil and financial assets. As SAMA (now the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority) reassesses its role in 2017, this history and guide to current policy issues will prove invaluable for policymakers in oil producing economies looking to apply lessons from the past as they plan for the future.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is one of the most recognizable acronyms among international organizations. It is mainly associated with the 'oil shock' of 1973 when prices of petroleum quadrupled and industrialized countries and consumers were forced to face the limits of their development model. This is the first history of OPEC and of its members written by a professional historian. It carries the reader from the formation of the first petrostate in the world, Venezuela in the late 1920s, to the global ascent of petrostates and OPEC during the 1970s, to their crisis in the late-1980s and early- 1990s. Formed in 1960, OPEC was the first international organization of the Global South. It was perceived as acting as the economic 'spearhead' of the Global South and acquired a role that went far beyond the realm of oil politics. Petrostates such as Venezuela, Nigeria, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Iran were (and continue to be) key regional actors, and their enduring cooperation, defying wide political and cultural differences and even wars, speaks to the centrality of natural resources in the history of the twentieth century, and to the underlying conflict between producers and consumers of these natural resources.

What does liberal order actually amount to outside the West, where it has been most institutionalised? Contrary to the Atlantic or Pacific, liberal hegemony is thin in the Indian Ocean World; there are no equivalents of NATO, the EU or the US-Japan defence relationship. Yet what this book calls the 'Global Indian Ocean' was the beating heart of earlier epochs of globalisation, where experiments in international order, market integration and cosmopolitanisms were pioneered. Moreover, it is in this macro-region that today's challenges will face their defining hour: climate change, pandemics, and the geopolitical contest pitting China and Pakistan against the USA and India. The Global Indian Ocean states represent the greatest range of political systems and ideologies in any region, from Hindu-nationalist India and nascent democracy in Indonesia and South Africa, to the Gulf's mixture of tribal monarchy and high modernism. These essays by leading scholars examine key aspects of political order, and their roots in the colonial and pre-colonial past, through the lenses of state-building, nationalism, international security, religious identity and economic development. The emergent lessons are of great importance for the world, as the 'global' liberal order fades and new alternatives struggle to be born.

This book is about Saudi Arabia's efforts to overhaul its economy and the numerous prospects and challenges it faces in doing so. As one of the world's leading oil producers, the outcomes of the most ambitious wave of reforms Saudi Arabia has ever undertaken will provide valuable lessons not only for the kingdom itself but also for other oil-dependent and resource-based economies. Since 2016, Saudi Arabia has embarked on an unparalleled economic - if not social and political - transformation project with an ultimate aim of diversifying away from oil. New sources of growth such as tourism, industry, and entertainment have been identified, but it remains to be seen whether these will be enough to sustain the economy in the post-oil era. Reforms, including lowering energy subsidies, instituting VAT, and introducing indirect taxes on labor and businesses, have already produced notable results. Looking ahead, the economy requires rigorous and continuous processes of severe competition amongst its private sector participants as well as strong institutions. It also requires creative destruction to be allowed to run its course within the wider economy. The economic reform experiment undertaken by Saudi Arabia remains the most sweeping among emerging market economies - and certainly in the entire Middle East. The changes are all encompassing and involve a complex redrawing of the political, economic, religious, and social map.

'Clear-eyed and illuminating.' Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of State and National Security Advisor 'A rich, superbly researched, balanced history of the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.' General David Petraeus, former Commander U.S. Central Command and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency 'Destined to be the best single volume on the Kingdom.' Ambassador Chas Freeman, former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Assistant Secretary of Defense 'Should be prescribed reading for a new generation of political leaders.' Sir Richard Dearlove, former Chief of H.M. Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) and Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge. Something extraordinary is happening in Saudi Arabia. A traditional, tribal society once known for its lack of tolerance is rapidly implementing significant economic and social reforms. An army of foreign consultants is rewriting the social contract, King Salman has cracked down hard on corruption, and his dynamic though inexperienced son, the Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, is promoting a more tolerant Islam. But is all this a new vision for Saudi Arabia or merely a mirage likely to dissolve into Iranian-style revolution? David Rundell - one of America's foremost experts on Saudi Arabia - explains how the country has been stable for so long, why it is less so today, and what is most likely to happen in the future. The book is based on the author's close contacts and intimate knowledge of the country where he spent 15 years living and working as a diplomat. Vision or Mirage demystifies one of the most powerful, but least understood, states in the Middle East and is essential reading for anyone interested in the power dynamics and politics of the Arab World.

The book examines in depth, the centrality of the Saudi fixed currency regime to the US dollar, SAMA’s monetary tools, macro prudential policies and its supervision of the Saudi commercial banking sector and new sectors such as insurance, the emerging Fin Tech industry as well as a closer examination of SAMA’s investment policies as custodian of the local currency. Saudi Arabia has long been associated with its central role in the global energy market, with its decisions on production volumes affecting the global financial markets. However, the Kingdom has also emerged as a significant global financial player due to its large holdings of international currency, its dominance of the regional Gulf and Arab world capital markets, and the aspirations of its Sovereign Wealth Fund, the Public Investment Fund. The G20 Presidency in 2020 has also placed Saudi Arabia on the global stage for the country to showcase progress in many and opening up its financial market to foreign investors. But the path to financial regulation and liberation to unleash Saudi Arabia’s potential has not come overnight, but through incremental steps and learning by doing. The results speak for themselves as this book examines: • The Saudi Capital Market and the evolution of its main Tadawul and parallel NOMU stock markets following the inclusion of Tadawul in the FTSE Russell, MSCI and S&P EM Indexes • The centrality of the Saudi fixed peg exchange regime as well as a closer examination of SAMA’s investment policies as custodian of the local currency • SAMA’s rebranding in 2020 as a Central Bank, its monetary and macro prudential policies and the re entry of foreign banks to the Saudi market, reversing previous Saudization of foreign bank branches in Saudi Arabia. The Author offers an analysis of the key challenges facing Saudi Arabia in an age of financial globalization, FinTech and digitization. The challenges faced by the Saudi regulators in the COVID 19 era are examined, along with the country’s financial sector objectives as part of the Vision 2030 program, SME financing now a central plank in the country’s Vision 2030 program, the role of FDI in economic growth, the reasons behind Saudi Arabia languishing behind other countries in attracting FDI given the size of its economy and rising domestic and foreign debt levels. It has been an incredible journey for a young country, and by all indications, the journey for expanded global partnership continues as Saudi Arabia also puts into practice its version of the circular carbon economy, its commitment to climate change, and being at the forefront of a new global digital economy.

The fifth in the CAIW series, the title draws on the 50 years of experience of Cambridge (UK)-based World of Information. Few countries have experienced such rapid and comprehensive change as Saudi Arabia. This title explains how and why.