Saudi Crown Prince Sultan (named after an Air Force Base - cool!) failed to out live the King of the Original He Man Women Haters Kingdom
Well, that's almost as embarrassing as watching your high dollar consort get all Grozy on your Visa at the club while consorting more with other ppl than with you.
Just lucky perhaps, Saudiland has another heir appearant in the wings - the wascally Wile E 911 denier Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz.
"If Nayef eventually becomes king, Saudi Arabia's hesitant steps toward reform will likely stop, and Washington's relations with Riyadh -- crucial for energy, financial, and regional policy -- would most likely be rockier than those with the current King Abdullah."
Prince Nayef is a player y'all - hooking up Wahabbia Arabia with over 120 Chinese missiles (plus 12 launchers) like the infamous East Wind Dong Feng 3 (improved Dongfeng 3A has a range of 2,810km) often nom d'guerr'd in NATOspeak as something something CSS-2s)
Nayef's challenge will be to navigate the Arab awakening. The Saudis are counterrevolutionaries and have been for more than a half century. They blame Obama for letting former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak fall from power, and are furious at his trial in Cairo.No friend of Persia's Preacher Command, he enjoys a soft spot for haute couture and a somewhat wordly rep. The Prince is also an ancient diabetic and it may be time to start looking at his successor too
They sent in their own troops to stop the revolution in Bahrain. They have told Jordan's King Abdullah that they will not allow reforms next door in his kingdom. In Yemen they want another strong man to replace Saleh. They want America to deal with Iran and al Qaeda, but they don't share our freedom agenda. They are very close to Pakistan—in part to have a nuclear ace just in case they need a bomb for their Chinese missiles.
They have ties to the Taliban, the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, and many other Islamist parties—ties Nayef has handled for decades. In some ways, the kingdom’s Nayef era has already begun. Sultan has been too ill for years to run affairs effectively, and Abdullah is fading. America will need to find common ground for continued cooperation with Nayef's kingdom even as we disagree about democracy's future in Arabia.
Pic - "Prince Naif can hold a grudge for an eternity"
Saudi Crown Prince Sultan, named after an Air Force base. . . Ha ha!
ReplyDeleteWith the U.S. pulling out of Iraq, we did not need another bit of instability. The crown prince has been very ill for over two years so hopefully contingency plans have been made for how succession may spin out of control.
ReplyDeleteI like that Hole album cover.
ReplyDeleteAnd another thing, Iran wants to go to space. That would be helpful! lol