Robert W. Jordan,former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia,has been assessing the kingdom's position in the recent wave of change sweeping the Middle East.King Abdullah is seen as a very sincere,non-corrupt ruler by his people.
We do need to carefully watch the middle class and the jobless.That could percolate over the next several years.Fifty percent of Saudis under 18 have poor prospects,but the people are impressed by the kingdom's investments in infrastructure.
There is tremendous liquidity in the Middle East,but Iran's hands are at work in the Yemen,Bahrain and Lebanon troubles.
The oil field security in Saudi Arabia is good.Overall,the business view is positive.
In Bahrain,it appears the king and crown prince will likely survive.They appear to have gotten a grip on the troubles,the former ambassador feels.
Mr.Jordan is currently Partner in Charge of Middle East Practice at law firm Baker Botts LLP.The firm has offices in Abu Dhabi,Dubai and Riyadh,Saudi Arabia.
Although a Saudi Arabian firm has created two exchange-traded funds based on the country's Tadawul stock market,they are not traded on U.S. exchanges as of yet.The Gulf Cooperation Council etfs are only available ex-Saudi Arabia.
iShares MSCI GCC Countries ex-Saudi Arabia(IGCC)
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