A New “Founding Day” and the Transformation of Saudi Society
On April 26, AGSIW hosted a discussion examining the establishment of Saudi Arabia's new national narrative.
Political Science Doctoral Student, George Washington University
Sultan Alamer is a political science doctoral student at the George Washington University. His major is comparative politics, and his minor is political theory. He holds an MA in philosophy and social policy from the Philosophy Department at the George Washington University. His research interests include the origins of ethnic and sectarian identities in the Middle East, state formation, legislative institutions in Gulf monarchies, contemporary Arab and Muslim political philosophy, and political violence. Alamer’s publications include Beyond Sectarianism and Ideology: Regionalism and Collective Political Action in Salman’s Legacy: The Dilemmas of a New Era in Saudi Arabia (Oxford University Press, 2018), The Role of Global Consultant Companies in Decision-Making Processes in Gulf Countries in Economic Reform in the Gulf Region Amid an Oil Crisis (Gulf Center for Development Policies, 2017), and The Margin When It Overthrows the Center: A Study on the Political Aspects of Mohammed Abedal-Jabri (Jadawel for Publishing and Translation, 2011). He is also the editor of On the History of Arab Nationalism: Critical Readings on the Margins of Time and Space (Beirut: Jossor for Translation and Publication, 2016). Alamer is a co-founder and a member of the executive committee of the Arab Political Science Network. He is the editor-in-chief of criticism and essays Arabic digital platform A3wad Qash and the executive producer of the Arabic Academic podcast “Ghain.” He has written for the Middle East Research and Information Project, Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Cambridge Middle East and North Africa Forum. He was a weekly syndicated op-ed writer for the international Arab newspaper Al-Hayat.
On April 26, AGSIW hosted a discussion examining the establishment of Saudi Arabia's new national narrative.
Saudi Arabia’s “Founding Day” signifies a radical break with the Wahhabi political influence that had legitimized the Saudi political projects since 1744.
Recently, many pieces have been published about the Gulf Arab countries and Israel arguing that: there is a great deal of convergence in the perceptions of both regarding the Iranian threat; there is growing covert security coordination between them against Iran; and the countries have taken modest moves toward the normalization of relations.