Kingdom without borders

Saudi Arabia's recent push to extend its influence beyond its borders has received far more sensational coverage than serious study. This collection sets out to fill that gap as the first volume devoted to the forces driving the expansion. The kingdom has built wide political and religious influence alongside a large media network, and its reach now touches both domestic and foreign actors.

The contributors revisit how the Saudi state and society have changed, paying attention to the several figures who have risen to prominence in recent years. They also examine how a second oil boom enabled outside forces to consolidate, forces that now threaten to undermine the state itself. Drawing on scholars from Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Asia, the volume studies the country both from the top down, through policy and leadership, and from the grassroots, through everyday social currents.

Beyond the kingdom, the chapters trace how Saudi influence has reshaped religious life, economic conditions and political affairs in Yemen, Lebanon and the United States, linking these local shifts to wider global forces. The book offers both a historical account and a close look at contemporary expansion, presenting Saudi Arabia's power project through the connected areas of domestic politics, religion and media.