‘Saudi social woes to persist’

A Lebanese academic predicts that Saudi Arabia will face further social problems due to the unfair distribution of wealth in the country amid the monarchy’s crackdown on anti-regime protests.

“I expect that the Saudi monarchy will face more social problems… due to the ill distribution of wealth because the Al Saud family and the people associated with it are the ones to benefit from most of the Saudi GDP,” said Prof. Jamal Wakim of the Lebanese International University in a Monday interview with Press TV from Beirut.

He further explained that the middle and lower middle class population in the Persian Gulf country are not benefiting from the Saudi oil wealth since “this oil money” is being invested mainly in “financial and real estate speculations” rather than in the productive sector.

Prof. Wakim also said that, in the past, Saudi authorities used to avert unemployment and social problems by convincing some of its youths, “who were discontent with the regime,” to go and “fight elsewhere in Syria, in Iraq and previously in Afghanistan,” adding that now Washington has told Riyadh not to send Saudis to fight abroad.

So, he said, “these Saudi youth will go back to Saudi Arabia and their social discontent will get reflected on the situation in the Kingdom.”

The Lebanese scholar went on to predict that online criticism against the Saudi rulers along with demonstrations will increase in the Arab state.

He, however, noted that due to its massive oil wealth and the strong American support for the despotic regime due to its regional role, the monarchy will manage to maintain its stability for the time being.

Saudi Arabian authorities reportedly detained three Saudi citizens on Saturday for posting videos on YouTube in which they called on the oil-rich kingdom to improve their living standards as well as criticizing “corruption” in the Persian Gulf Kingdom.

Saudi activist announced on Sunday that the arrests were made on the same day that US President Barack Obama flew home from a visit to Saudi Arabia while being widely criticized for not having done more to raise human rights concerns during his talks with King Abdullah.

Protests are banned in Saudi Arabia, which, despite its huge oil wealth, has a jobless rate of more than 12.5 percent among its native population.