Let's not pretend otherwise. While outwardly the KSA/GCC have taken some measures to comply with western demands to reduce direct state subsidies, and the Islamist militias they created have developed alternative sources of revenues, the vast bulk of terrorist funding remains wealthy Saudis, Qataris, and Emirate elites.

http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/the-terrorist-funding-disconnect-with-qatar-and-kuwait

If Saudi Arabia becomes a failed state and is thrown into chaos, goodbye world.

I'm far from rich. I don't even own a car but I like my twenty first century amenities. Those are contingent, now and for the foreseeable future, on having access to energy at an affordable price.

They won't be missed.

The oil companies have enough ghurkas and old SAS hands to protect the fields. If not, send in the Hellfighters and that european outfit with the jet engine rig.

No, round up every one of the bigoted, slaving family who tell everyone god told them to run the middle east. Tell the bankers in The City of London, Switzerland and Lichenstein that the money is staying put but the ownershio has changed.

Time to install some nonnutters, leave the region and shut the hell up.

shortfall without too much disruption, particularly if the President imposed existing emergency price and production controls that are already on the books.

Plus it's Europe and Japan who are most dependent on Saudi oil . However the price of oil is fungible so the cost for a barrel would go through the roof and plunge the world into recession if one seventh of the supply magically disappeared.

It's God cruel joke if you believe in him or her that the world is so dependent on such an unstable region for its very survival in the near term. It would like having to buy all your groceries in the shadiest part of town at two o clock in the morning.

in the event of an embargo or drastic curtailment of Saudi production, as might follow an uprising in the predominantly Shi'ia Eastern Province where the largest fields and export terminals are.

Europe and Japan would be more likely impacted, but even there, if potential Russian and Iranian exports wee lifted, and surplus capacity were to reach market, the supply and price shocks wouldn't necessarily be paralyzing. For that to happen, there would have to be a change in political orientation, of course.

but still a mistake considering the problems that exist as a direct result from that partnership. Who would replace them? Who would be worse? These the Al-Qaeda terrorist brand and its affiliates receive direct financial assistance from them and had from years. The "House of Saud" are direct descendants from the man that made that 'goodbye world' 'pact' with Al-Wahhab.

How vital is it compared to what else it has created and will continue to do so?

It's easier to defend a nation from an outside threat than a threat from within and I presume that the latter is where a threat to the monarchy would come from.

war for a long time.

since they are both Salafi-Wahabbis. It is likely the receive funding from them or other investors, just there banks has those red flags in their banks the US pressured them to implement so the money is put in Kuwati or Qatari banks. Likely they receive financial support from the House of Saud or similar investors.

Do any of the major Jihadist groups really threaten the Saudi State, per se? I see little evidence that they are really an independent force - if funding from the Gulf states and Saudi factions were cut off, I don't think the militias would be around very long.

could be. I have always found the notion that ISIS funds itself with bootleg oil and kidnapping inadequate to the job of explanation, war is very expensive.