Political culture of the area
describes and transcribes the political trajectory of that area. And political
culture as shown in the reading is affected by many things. As shown in the
reading, it is affected by the religion, media, family, government etc. Where
the reading understood the government’s role in political culture in the sense
that it sets in orientation to e.g. Nazism, and Fascism, it can also affect
political culture by other measures. In Saudi Arabia for example, the political
culture is widely affected by welfare payments. This phenomenon is demonstrated
by the $32 billion payout promised by the New King of Saudia Arabi: King Salman.
Interestingly, the deceased King also paid out a hefty sum in form of bonuses
and salary bumps on his coronation back in 2005. He also paid out such payments
in 2011 after returning from medical treatment, at which time the Arab world
was going through an uncertain time with the Arab Spring and the King needed to
keep his subjects happy. According to an article in the NY times, these payouts
spring from a culture of familial bond between the King and his subjects and
aims to strengthen that by including the common man in the revelry or the
success of the King. Thus this is another way of affecting political culture.
1 comment:
In order to analyse the impact of any variable on a given social dynamic, we ought to hypothesize a 'control' condition. Hence, if the benefit distribution among the masses is an important factor in the relationship between the Saudi king and the people and shapes the political culture of the kingdom, how do you think things would be different if these monetary handouts were not the norm? What would it change about the way that the residents of The KSA viewed the role of the royal family and their relationship with it?
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