Saudi Arabia and ISIL: A False Equation but Troubling Echoes

A growing trope in mainstream Western analysis, which is also present in some parts of Arab and Muslim discourse, casts the kingdom of Saudi Arabia as the political and moral equivalent of the terrorist group ISIL (also known as ISIS, the “Islamic State,” and Daesh).

Saudi Arabia and ISIL: A False Equation but Troubling Echoes
A member of the Saudi border guards forces patrols the fence on Saudi Arabia's northern border with Iraq, near Arar City on February 23, 2015. (FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images)

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Through its careful examination of the forces shaping the evolution of Gulf societies and the new generation of emerging leaders, AGSIW facilitates a richer understanding of the role the countries in this key geostrategic region can be expected to play in the 21st century.

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