Using four or more complete sentences, describe the structure and features of monarchies in the middle east.

There exist factors endogenous to all modern Arab monarchical regimes to which we can attribute their resilience in the face of the Arab Spring. The first and perhaps the most important of these in the context of the Arab Spring is that all of the eight monarchies existing today are able to foster a degree of legitimacy in their governance that presidents cannot attest to, deeming the overthrow of the monarchy in the name of democratization a more formidable task that is less imaginable by their people. Furthermore, varying structural factors of the regimes also play a significant role in their resilience. In general, the survival of monarchical regimes is contingent on their institutional flexibility in attentive management of the regime’s coalition of supporters and society at large. The eight modern Arab monarchies vary, however, in their relationship between the regime coalition and society, leading to varying survival strategies.

    Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy organized around Sunni Islam and home to the world's second largest oil reserves, enjoyed friendly relations with the West, especially the United States.

    Saudi Arabia, which was unified of four regions in 1932 by its first king, Ibn Saud, was once one of the poorest nations in the world, but quickly became one of the richest in the Arab world after the discovery of huge oil reserves in 1938. .

    Since then, its stated foreign policy objectives are to maintain its security and prime position in the Arabian Peninsula, and as the world's largest oil exporter, to maintain cooperative relations with other oil producing countries and major oil consumers.

    As a result, it enjoyed good relations with the West, especially the United States, as a strategic energy and security ally. Saudi Arabia is an absolute hereditary monarchy, ruled by a king, and the royal family dominates the political system.

   Key terms

    Sunni Islam: the largest denomination of Islam. Its name comes from the word Sunnah, referring to the exemplary behavior of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The differences between this sect and Shiite Muslims arose from a disagreement over the choice of Muhammad's successor and subsequently acquired broader political significance as well as theological and legal dimensions.

    absolute monarchy: A form of monarchy in which a ruler has supreme authority that is not restricted by any written law, legislature or custom. These are often, but not always, hereditary monarchies. In constitutional monarchies, by contrast, the authority of the head of state derives and is legally limited or restricted by a constitution or legislature.