The Impact of the Political System and the Power Structure of the Saudi Arabia on the Disaster of Mina

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Assistant professor, The Institute of Hajj and Pilgrimage

Abstract

One of the aspects that can be considered in the analysis of the disaster of Mina is in terms of the power structure and the political system of Saudi Arabia. In this approach, the analysis of the Saudi power structure and political system will reveal a number of features that can be helpful to some extent in the interpretation of the how and why of the disaster of Mina. Saudi Arabia's political system which is based on a system of Rentier hereditary monarchy has led to such consequences as indifference toward the disaster, lack of accountability, media and diplomatic hegemony based on threat and bribery; on the other hand, the binary structure of the power (religion and politics) has resulted in legalizing and taking an ideological approach toward the incident. Furthermore, the strategic alliances of the West with the Saudis have led to the integration of the Western media with the government in the reflection of the incident. In addition, the impact of some of the variables in the time of the incident, such as the war in Yemen and Syria, and the challenges posed by the transition of the power should not be ignored.

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