Saudi economic influence after 1973 hardened religious politics and toppled Bhutto

Evidence

The crushing of secular nationalism in 1967 and Nasser’s death a few years after created an opening for Faisal. The war of 1973 further bolstered Saudi Arabia’s image in the Arab world. The Saudi-led oil embargo that followed the war elevated its prestige to such an extent that it was able to seize the initiative from secular nationalism and put its homegrown brand of Islam, Wahhabism, on the map. Wahhabism is an ultra-conservative interpretation of Sunni Islam which has functioned historically to sanction the rule of the al-Saud family. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 235 (#expands, via linked claim)

All in all, Islamic revivalism might have been confined to the dustbin of history had it not been for the collapse and defeat of secular nationalism in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is to this failure that we turn next in order to understand the conditions that have allowed political Islam to develop and grow. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 312 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Today, the ravages of imperialism and neoliberalism are plain to see. While tens of thousands have lost their lives in the US-led occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, millions more suffer under the daily depredations of the free market. But there is a major reconfiguration of forces taking place in the region. Secular nationalism, with its considerable mass appeal, was the main driving force of change in the area in the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1970s, the Arab regimes made a concerted effort to stabilize the region, including supporting “Islamist” forces against secular nationalists and the left. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 372 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim
• XREF: connects to: The 1967 defeat and 1970s economic crisis fueled political Islam’s rise. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 250; Saudi Wahhabism displaced Arab secular nationalism after the 1973 war — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 235; Political Islam’s rise depended on the collapse of secular nationalism — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 312 (+3 more)

Related

• Saudi Wahhabism displaced Arab secular nationalism after the 1973 war (similarity 0.92)
• Arab regimes in the 1970s deliberately backed Islamists against secular nationalists and the left (similarity 0.87)
• Political Islam’s rise depended on the collapse of secular nationalism (similarity 0.87)
• The 1967 defeat and 1970s economic crisis fueled political Islam’s rise. (similarity 0.86)
• Islamism rose from secular nationalist failure, left weakness, and economic crises (similarity 0.85)
• Saudi wealth transformed Wahhabism into a global ideology under the guise of Salafism (similarity 0.83)
• Saudi petrodollars and Zia’s rule hardened Pakistani religious politics (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Saudi Wahhabism displaced Arab secular nationalism after the 1973 war #expands (0.70) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 235
• Political Islam’s rise depended on the collapse of secular nationalism #corroborates (0.55) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 312
• Arab regimes in the 1970s deliberately backed Islamists against secular nationalists and the left #corroborates (0.50) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 372
• Islamism rose from secular nationalist failure, left weakness, and economic crises #complicates (0.40) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 323