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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why was Saudi oil so important?

2. What does Baer say the Saudi princes are well-known for?

3. At what stage is oil sent to Ju'aymah?

4. What does Baer say is the cost of Adnan Khashoggi's lifestyle?

5. How many miles of pipeline are there in Saudi Arabia?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the relationship between Baer's assessment of Saudi Arabia and the official United States assessment?

2. How does Baer characterize the royal family under King Fahd?

3. What protection does Baer say the United States government offers the Saudis?

4. How does Baer characterize the process by which Saudis were granted United States visas?

5. What threats of violence does Baer describe in Saudi Arabia?

6. What makes the Abqaiq crude oil complex vulnerable to terrorist attacks, according to Baer?

7. In what way does Baer say his observations contradict the official United States statements about Saudi's anti-terrorism efforts?

8. What anecdote does Baer say illustrates the standard of business in the Middle East?

9. What information did Baer fish for in his conversation with Yuri, and what was Yuri's response?

10. What other vulnerabilities does Baer describe in the Saudi oil system?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Where does terrorism rank among the threats to world security in Baer's view? What greater threats are there? What other threats are comparable to terrorism? How does Baer approach these other problems? Are his insights and observations equally useful in other areas beside terrorism?

Essay Topic 2

Evaluate the case for democracy in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East based on Baer's observations. What are the main challenges to democracy in the Middle East? What are the benefits it might offer? What problems might democracy solve?

Essay Topic 3

What are the key contradictions at the heart of the United States' involvement in the Middle East? What balances are struck between opposing trends or movements? For instance, how does the United States' desire for democracy in the Middle East apparently balance the United States' willingness to let countries like Saudi Arabia fund terrorist states?

(see the answer keys)

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