Egypt and Saudi Arabia were crucial for the initiation and success of two sets of decisions that jolted the Middle East and world economy in October, 1973: the Egyptian-Syrian surprise attack that initiated the fifth Arab-Israeli war, and the oil-producing countries' oil embargo. Here, general data are scrutinized to see when, how, in what context, and with what objectives these decisions took place. General conclusions are that: (a) while the presidential center or the royal palace is the major locus of decisions, especially in national security or basic policy questions, geopolitical factors have been the major pressures behind the decisions; (b) when the adversary is deemed inflexible and no political alternative seems probable, moderate governments make radical decisions; and (c) despite the resultant quadrupling of oil prices in a short time, political objectives were paramount in both sets of decisions.
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