(5. März 2012) At first glance, an Islamist movement taking power in one of the Arab world‘s most significant countries would seem to be a development that Saudi Arabia — a country where Islam is central to the state‘s cultural and political identity — would welcome enthusiastically. However, Riyadh is increasingly worried about the political movement‘s growing popularity throughout the region, and the consequences that the rise of a republican form of Islamism may bring for the Saudi royal family‘s absolute monarchy.