Saudi Arabia's strategic issues and problems in 2023

Drawing upon the Strengths, Weaknesses, Threats and Opportunities (SWOT) analysis method, this paper seeks to examine Saudi Arabia’s strategic issues and essentials in 2023. Such essentials have been identified based on four parameters including strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities. In 2019, these parameters resulted in redesigning a three-pronged strategy for Saudi Arabia for the furtherance of social and economic reforms at the domestic level, extensive détente at the regional level and managing rivalry among the great powers at the international level. The findings of the paper indicate that the place and role of Saudi Arabia in the future energy geopolitics and the advent of a new order in light of disruption of the existing oil-based order have left the Kingdom with no choice but to diversify the state’s revenues and expanding the basket of regional and international partners. To move in this direction has made Saudi Arabia more assertive in its foreign policy decision-making and its strategic choices.