Saudi Arabia has the tools to weather the current storm. Its internal security forces are numerous and loyal, it is flush with oil wealth, the King is popular (although infirm), and the majority of Saudis are far from likely to take to the streets. As it has always done, it will adjust the pace of its reforms in an attempt to satisfy reformists while balancing the dominant conservative trend in society.

Full Text: “Saudi Arabia and the King’s Dilemma,” Advancing a Free Society (Hoover Institution, Stanford), March 16, 2011.