--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What are the prospects for an Arab state…" description: "\"What are the prospects for an Arab state serving a leading role comparable to the role that other states place in other regions? There is no obvious ca..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ed/samuel-p-huntington-4547_arabia_what-are-the-prospects-for-an-arab-state_262000.png" --- # What are the prospects for an Arab state serving a leading… ![“What are the prospects for an Arab state serving a leading role comparable to the role that other states place in other regions? There is no obvious candidate. Saudi Arabia has the money but a relatively small population. Iraq was a great potential leader, as a sizable country with great oil…” quote by Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ed/samuel-p-huntington-4547_arabia_what-are-the-prospects-for-an-arab-state_262000.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ed/samuel-p-huntington-4547_arabia_what-are-the-prospects-for-an-arab-state_262000.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ed/samuel-p-huntington-4547_arabia_what-are-the-prospects-for-an-arab-state_262000.png) > “What are the prospects for an Arab state serving a leading role comparable to the role that other states place in other regions? There is no obvious candidate. Saudi Arabia has the money but a relatively small population. Iraq was a great potential leader, as a sizable country with great oil resources and a highly educated population, but it went off in the wrong direction.” [Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. No clear Arab leader emerges; wealth and size alone don’t guarantee regional leadership. **In simple terms:** Leadership isn’t just money or size. Key Takeaway Consider factors beyond resources for leadership. Themes politics geopolitics leadership regional dynamics Mood analytical cautious Type political strategic When to use this quote - foreign policy planning - regional cooperation - economic development Key Concepts Power theory state capacity identity politics Questions to Reflect On - What qualities truly enable a state to lead? - How can smaller states influence regions? A Different Perspective Political realities may shift quickly, making predictions uncertain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arabia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arabia/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Iraq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iraq/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Saudis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saudis/) ## Related quotes > [Lebanon is restless, Syria got its walking papers, Egypt is scheduling elections with more than one candidate, and even Saudi Arabia, whose rulers are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-fields/lebanon-is-restless-syria-got-its-walking-papers-egypt-is-scheduling/) [Suzanne Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-fields/) > [Jordan is the only Arab state that has provided citizenship to Palestinian refugees and integrated them. But something has to be done about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell-mead/jordan-is-the-only-arab-state-that-has-provided-citizenship-to/) [Walter Russell Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell-mead/) > [Israel wants to make it clear to the government of Egypt that it has no aggressive intentions whatsoever against any Arab state at all](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levi-eshkol/israel-wants-to-make-it-clear-to-the-government-of-egypt-that-it-has/) Levi Eshkol > [“Time is management,look for he who keeps to time, he is a potential leader”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzoma-kelechi/time-is-management-look-for-he-who-keeps-to-time-he-is-a-potential/) [Uzoma Kelechi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzoma-kelechi/) > [Time spent with a potential leader is an investment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/time-spent-with-a-potential-leader-is-an-investment/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [If you're not uncomfortable in your work as a leader, it's almost certain you're not reaching your potential as a leader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/if-you-re-not-uncomfortable-in-your-work-as-a-leader-it-s-almost/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Realizing your potential as a leader is your responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/realizing-your-potential-as-a-leader-is-your-responsibility/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [“A potential leader who obeys God is in much better position to succeed than one who ignores God's will for his life”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mlungisi-simelane/a-potential-leader-who-obeys-god-is-in-much-better-position-to/) [Mlungisi Simelane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mlungisi-simelane/) > [Trump has got to, I think, move to a new level. This is no longer the primaries. He's no longer an interesting contender. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/trump-has-got-to-i-think-move-to-a-new-level-this-is-no-longer-the/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [People eyeing you as a potential leader tend to ask three questions: Are you committed? Do you care about me? Can I trust you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-holtz/people-eyeing-you-as-a-potential-leader-tend-to-ask-three-questions/) [Lou Holtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-holtz/) > [“Your place in destiny is to be the head and not the tail;it is made possible when you are a potential leader”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzoma-kelechi/your-place-in-destiny-is-to-be-the-head-and-not-the-tail-it-is-made/) [Uzoma Kelechi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzoma-kelechi/) > [If you can keep on trying after three failures in a given undertaking you may consider yourself a 'suspect' as a potential leader in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/if-you-can-keep-on-trying-after-three-failures-in-a-given-undertaking/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I've been to Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait for brief visits at conferences, and they are very interesting countries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-p-huntington/i-ve-been-to-egypt-lebanon-saudi-arabia-and-kuwait-for-brief-visits/) [Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) > [I've always been hopeful about Scotland's prospects. And I now believe more than ever that Scotland is within touching distance of achieving independence and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-connery/i-ve-always-been-hopeful-about-scotland-s-prospects-and-i-now-believe/) [Sean Connery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-connery/) > [One argument goes that recessions are good for female artists because when money flies out the window, women are allowed in the house. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/one-argument-goes-that-recessions-are-good-for-female-artists-because/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) ## More by Samuel P. Huntington > [Countries will cooperate with each other, and are more likely to cooperate with each other when they share a common culture, as is most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-p-huntington/countries-will-cooperate-with-each-other-and-are-more-likely-to/) [Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) > [“The prevalence of anti-patriotic attitudes among liberal intellectuals led some of them to warn their fellow liberals of the consequences of such attitudes for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-p-huntington/the-prevalence-of-anti-patriotic-attitudes-among-liberal/) [Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) > [Also, of course, for most of this time most Americans thought of America as a white country with, at best, only a very segregated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-p-huntington/also-of-course-for-most-of-this-time-most-americans-thought-of/) [Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) > [These transnationalists have little need for national loyalty, view national boundaries as obstacles that thankfully are vanishing, and see national governments as residues from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-p-huntington/these-transnationalists-have-little-need-for-national-loyalty-view/) [Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) > [Civilizations evolve over time, and most scholars of civilization, including people like Carol Quigley, argue that they go through periods of warring states, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-p-huntington/civilizations-evolve-over-time-and-most-scholars-of-civilization/) [Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) > [First of all, we haven't always welcomed immigrants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-p-huntington/first-of-all-we-haven-t-always-welcomed-immigrants/) [Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) > [Hispanics speak Spanish or Portuguese, which are languages we Americans are familiar with, so it doesn't seem to pose the same types of problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-p-huntington/hispanics-speak-spanish-or-portuguese-which-are-languages-we/) [Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) > [Israel has military capabilities including nuclear weapons, far surpassing any other power in the Middle East, but it's a small country. The rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-p-huntington/israel-has-military-capabilities-including-nuclear-weapons-far/) [Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) > [America doesn't border on Muslim countries. European countries do and that seems to be a fundamental difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-p-huntington/america-doesn-t-border-on-muslim-countries-european-countries-do-and/) [Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) > [Except under rare circumstances, I don't write responses to criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-p-huntington/except-under-rare-circumstances-i-don-t-write-responses-to-criticism/) [Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) > [Religiosity distinguishes America from most other Western societies. Americans are also overwhelmingly Christian, which distinguishes them from many non-Western peoples. Their religiosity leads Americans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-p-huntington/religiosity-distinguishes-america-from-most-other-western-societies/) [Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) > [Both sides are divided and Western countries collaborate with Muslim countries and vice versa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-p-huntington/both-sides-are-divided-and-western-countries-collaborate-with-muslim/) [Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) > [ Some Westerners \[…\] have argued that the West does not have problems with Islam but only with violent Islamist extremists. Fourteen hundred years of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-p-huntington/some-westerners-have-argued-that-the-west-does-not-have-problems-with/) [Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) > [Obviously there are divisions within the West and divisions within Islam - there are different sects, different communities, different countries. So neither one is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-p-huntington/obviously-there-are-divisions-within-the-west-and-divisions-within/) [Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) > [“Arabs and other Muslims generally agreed that Saddam Hussein might be a bloody tyrant, but, paralleling FDR's thinking, "he is our bloody tyrant." In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-p-huntington/arabs-and-other-muslims-generally-agreed-that-saddam-hussein-might-be/) [Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) [Explore all 109 Samuel P. Huntington quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) ## More Arabia quotes > [There is nothing in the desert and no man needs nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david/there-is-nothing-in-the-desert-and-no-man-needs-nothing/) [David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david/) > [You know, in Saudi Arabia, you're innocent until proven Jewish. Female. Guilty! They're guilty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/you-know-in-saudi-arabia-you-re-innocent-until-proven-jewish-female/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [America is the Saudi Arabia of coal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/america-is-the-saudi-arabia-of-coal/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [In Saudi Arabia, among other countries, Muslims are not free to convert to Christianity, and Christians are not free to practice their faith. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-warraq/in-saudi-arabia-among-other-countries-muslims-are-not-free-to-convert/) [Ibn Warraq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-warraq/) > [Hillary Clinton has decided to line up with John McCain in pushing to suspend the federal excise tax on gasoline, 18.4 cents a gallon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/hillary-clinton-has-decided-to-line-up-with-john-mccain-in-pushing-to/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [“When you fear nothing, you have nothing to fear”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-f-chandler/when-you-fear-nothing-you-have-nothing-to-fear/) S.F. Chandler > [We're defending Saudi Arabia? And with all of the money they have, we're defending them, and they're not paying? All you have to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-re-defending-saudi-arabia-and-with-all-of-the-money-they-have-we/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Our president's latest energy initiative was to go to Saudi Arabia and beg King Abdullah to give us a little relief on gasoline prices.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/our-president-s-latest-energy-initiative-was-to-go-to-saudi-arabia/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Like so many Boomers, I saw 'Lawrence of Arabia' in 1962 when it was first released and when we were young teenagers. I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-doria-russell/like-so-many-boomers-i-saw-lawrence-of-arabia-in-1962-when-it-was/) [Mary Doria Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-doria-russell/) > [The Treasury Department would use the interest from these securities to hire U.S. companies to build Saudi Arabia - new cities, new infrastructure -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perkins/the-treasury-department-would-use-the-interest-from-these-securities/) [John Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perkins/) > [They chose me for Lawrence of Arabia because I spoke English, had black hair, black eyes and a moustache. It was all luck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-sharif/they-chose-me-for-lawrence-of-arabia-because-i-spoke-english-had/) [Omar Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-sharif/) > [Avatar is a watershed movie. We'll always refer to Lawrence of Arabia in the same way. 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Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-f-tompkins/) > [Sadly, a U.S. invasion of Iraq 'would threaten the whole stability of the Middle East' - or so Amr Moussa, secretary-general of the Arab…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/sadly-a-u-s-invasion-of-iraq-would-threaten-the-whole-stability-of/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) [Browse all 343 Arabia quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arabia/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What are the prospects for an Arab state serving a leading role comparable to the role that other states place in other regions? There is no obvious candidate. Saudi Arabia has the money but a relatively small population. Iraq was a great potential leader, as a sizable country with great oil resources and a highly educated population, but it went off in the wrong direction.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Samuel P. 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