Saudi Arabia Bans Protests

Joy.  The royal family is busy buying people off:

Last month, [King] Abdullah returned to Riyadh after a three-month medical absence and announced $37bn in benefits for citizens in a bid to curb dissent.

But that is not terrifically sustainable--particularly as the royal family continues to expand.  I am certainly not saying it will happen soon, but if unrest in Saudi Arabia goes hot, the level of economic impact on *everyone* is going to be on a level most of us have never seen--perhaps none of us have ever seen.