Surrounded: Why Saudi Arabia's Security Is At Risk

The linchpin of American foreign policy in the Middle East is in danger of coming loose. Saudi Arabia, one of the world's few remaining absolute monarchies, is increasingly surrounded by sectarian turmoil that may infect the kingdom's political culture. So this week's spike in oil prices following Saudi intervention in Yemen's civil war may be a harbinger of things to come, because when the world's biggest exporter of oil looks shaky, the whole global energy market can come unhinged.