In his book The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History, author Michael H Hart judged that the world’s most influential person of all time was an Arab trader who lived at the turn of the 6th and 7th centuries in Mecca in present day Saudi Arabia. The name of this individual was Muhammad, the founder of the Muslim religion. To Muslims, presently 20 per cent of the global population, Muhammad was the Prophet who delivered God’s word to the world. To non-Muslims, Muhammad was the man who delivered the Muslim religion to the world. Either way, Muhammad’s effect on global human affairs since his own time has been profound.
The other major influence, in terms of recent global interest in Saudi Arabia, was the discovery on the Arabian Peninsula of the world’s biggest oil deposits. The development of the Saudi oil fields after the 1940s cast Saudi Arabia as the swing supplier of the world’s energy and the most influential member of OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries). The interaction of these two factors, Islam and oil, have made Saudi Arabia one of the most pivotal countries on the planet.
Oil and the income it has generated has had a profound effect on the Saudi culture in this once dirt-poor country of limited interest to the rest of the world. In the modern era, Saudi Arabia’s economic prospects have varied with the oil price. In 1940s and 1950s, as the first oil revenue flowed into the country, the Saudi Royal family first experimented with conspicuous consumption in its most extreme form—nearly driving the country bankrupt in the process. After the first big oil price increase in 1973, Saudi Arabia spent some of its petrodollars on national development and invested some in Western banks. The Western banks in turn invested in Latin American countries, which subsequently announced an inability to repay their debts. Laundered through various countries, these petrodollars found themselves in the accounts of Swiss banks in the name of various unsavoury Third World dictators—well beyond the reach of the Treasury of Saudi Arabia, the ostensible owner of the money. The price of oil peaked again in 1979 during the Iranian Revolution, but then slumped over the 1980s and 1990s when Saudi Arabia survived by deficit financing, building up a massive overseas debt. Since the oil price spike that started in around 2002, Saudi Arabia has applied the bulk of its funds from the booming oil price into paying off its accumulated debt -and increasing its rate of development. As is common knowledge, the oil price peaked at US$ 147 in mid 2008, then quickly slumped as the great global economic meltdown of 2008/2009 gathered pace. At time of latest update the oil price is around US$ 100. Where it will go from there is anyone’s guess.
To implement its social and physical development programme, Saudi Arabia has, for many years, imported from other countries a guest workforce of skilled and unskilled labour. Saudi Arabia has a guest labour force five to six million strong in a total population of 26 million. Opportunities are many for guest workers inside Saudi Arabia to undertake an enormous variety of labour contracts, occupations and industries.
This book is principally written as an information guide to Saudi’s army of guest workers. It also offers advice and information for those visiting the kingdom to do business, visit family members of guest workers and many other reasons. While the major viewpoint taken is that of the Western visitor who has accepted employment in Saudi Arabia, or is considering doing so, the book also contains helpful hints for guest workers from other countries. It offers thumbnail sketches of important historical accounts that have created presentday cultural attitudes, and includes information of day-to-day events within Saudi Arabia.
As the title of the book suggests, an assignment in Saudi Arabia is an experience in the clash of cultures. Saudi Arabia is located in a part of the world where the cultural mix is pronounced. Three of the world’s dominant religions—Islam, Christianity and Judaism—originated in these ancient lands. In this region, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Taoism and various other ‘isms’ uneasily rub shoulders against each other on a daily basis. Culture shock is a part of life in Saudi Arabia, both for the guest workers and the indigenous population. Avoiding the pitfalls of culture shock and getting the best out of your time in Saudi Arabia are two of the main themes of this book.