Saudi is a nation of tribes. It extends from the Red Sea in the west to the Arabian Gulf in the east; bordered on the north by Jordan, Iraq and Kuwait, on the south, by Yemen and Oman, and on the east by the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain. It has no perennial rivers and is considered one of the driest areas on earth. The Rub al-Khali, virtually uninhabited, is almost entirely without rain.
King Abdulaziz (1932-1953)
The legendary King Abdulaziz ibn Saud was a remarkable leader. He was the first king and founding father of the modern Kingdom. He was outstandingly tall, indifferent to injury, hardened by battle and extremely disciplined. Spiritually he was deeply devout. His vision set Saudi Arabia on the road to modernization. When he won his kingdom, it was exasperatingly poor. Then a stroke of fortune changed it all when oil was discovered. Today, only Arabs can afford to shop at Harrods! The most valuable asset in Monopoly, property in Mayfair, belongs almost exclusively to Arabs. At this rate, they might soon acquire another kingdom!
Abdulaziz was a busy man, and at the time of his death, he left behind him forty-seven living sons and unnumbered daughters. His family tree shows only male descendants, as if they miraculously sprang from the earth.
King Saud (1953-1964)
Abdulaziz’ eldest son Saud acceded to the throne upon his father’s death. It was determined by the king that succession should pass from the oldest son to the next. One of King Saud’s greatest successes was the development of education – under his rule the first institute of higher education, King Saud University, was established in 1957.
King Faisal (1964-1975)
King Faisal succeeded his brother. He established the first public schools for girls. Throughout the period of the 1960s and 1970s, which included two Arab-Israeli wars and the oil crisis of 1973, King Faisal was a voice for moderation, peace and stability. Unfortunately his reign came to an abrupt end when he was assassinated by one of his scores of nephews, also a Faisal, the son of a half-brother. Before dying, the king is reported to have asked that his assassin be spared execution. In the aftermath, Faisal bin Musa'id was publicly declared to have been insane. However, Saudi officials claimed that his actions were deliberate and planned. He was tried and found guilty. Hours after the verdict, he was publicly beheaded in Riyadh. Saudis do not like to mention this part of their history, but Shakespear would have had a field day. King Khalid (1975-1982)
Khalid, yet another of the brotherhood, succeeded King Faisal. King Khalid also emphasized development, and his reign was marked by a period of enormous wealth and prosperity for the country.
King Fahd (1982-2005)
King Fahd was groomed for leadership from an early age. In 1953, in his early thirties, he took the education portfolio. He also represented the House of Saud at Queen Elizabeth’s coronation. As Crown Prince in 1981, he proposed a plan to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict and give the Palestinians an independent state. The plan was considered one of the first attempts to find a just and lasting settlement that took into consideration the needs of both the Arabs and Israel.
King Abdullah (2005 - )
Peace in the Middle East and the plight of the Palestinians are of particular concern to King Abdullah. His proposal for a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace, presented in 2002, has been adopted by the League of Arab States and is known as the Arab Peace Initiative. He has been unwavering in his condemnation of terrorism. At the International Counterterrorism Conference in Riyadh in February, 2005, he called for greater international cooperation to fight this global problem.
Crown Prince Sultan
Prince Sultan, like his brothers, received his early education in religion, modern culture and diplomacy at the royal court. After serving as Governor of Riyadh Province from 1947 to 1953, he became the Kingdom’s first Minister of Agriculture. In 1955, he became Minister of Communications, and contributed greatly to the development of the Kingdom’s road, rail and telecommunications networks. He has been Minister of Defense and Aviation since 1963.
Prince Sultan is suffering from cancer and it is not likely that he will outlive or succeed his brother. Interestingly enough, his son, Prince Bandar, who had been Saudi’s ambassador in Washington for 22 years, has disappeared off the map.
Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz
In the absence of any official news about his health or whereabouts, the rumour mill has been working overtime. As is often the case with Saudi affairs, the truth is elusive. Those who know won’t talk and those who don’t know talk a lot. One theory is that Prince Bandar was seeking to oust King Abdullah before Prince Sultan dies, thus placing his father on the throne. Other rumours claim that Prince Bandar is ill, or that he angered King Abdullah by dabbling in Syrian politics without authorisation. Obviously his under some kind of house arrest. (my opinion)
Succession
One thing that has become very clear, is that Saudi is run by a clan of elderly statesmen (octogenarians) whose health and lifespan is rapidly deteriorating and diminishing. If they keep passing it on from brother to brother, the reign of each one will be progressively shorter and more incompetent and more open to behind the scenes conniving and backstabbing. Sons of different mothers tend to stick together. The succession is going to be very interesting to follow and one can only pray that the leadership will remain in the hands of moderate men (or women!).
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