Isolated abroad, hated at home: House of Saud faces uncertain future

[True_Blue]

By David Usborne in New York
01 June 2004



When the terrorists who have identified themselves as members of al-Qa'ida took their hostages in Khobar last weekend, they were meticulous in choosing their targets. Muslims were allowed to leave; only foreign "infidels" were held and some were killed.

But the killers had another target: the ruling royal family. The House of Saud, which numbers upwards of 20,000 people and has had the kingdom in its grip since the 1920s, is held in suspicion by nearly everyone who is not a member of it. Even the Americans have rumbled its failures in combating terrorism since September 2001.

But more important is the hatred of the ruling clan among many Saudis, who are denied anything approaching democracy. They consider the family corrupt and to a large degree, infirm. King Fahd is incapacitated since suffering a stroke in 1995. The regent, Crown Prince Abdullah, who represents Saudi Arabia abroad and essentially rules it, is almost 80.

The monarchy remains in almost complete control. Nearly every senior government post is held by a prince of the family. They control most of the ministries. The Interior Minster, Prince Nayef Abdul Aziz, belongs to the family. So does Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister. Even ambassadors abroad are royalty, including Prince Turki al-Faisal, the ambassador in London who, until 2001, was head of the Department of General Intelligence. Prince Bandar is the country's envoy in Washington.
more.....
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=526960

[roguevalley]

1. I despise Bandar and so does most of the people in Washington.

[bemildred]

2. March/April Utne reader had a good piece on this too. nt

[keithyboy]

3. But were we not warned that an Iraqi invasion would destablize the entire

region? It ain't over yet. The destablization is just getting started. Wait until they start messing with the water after they burn the oil fields.

[cliss]

4. Very, very interesting.

I'll be keeping my eyes on Saudi Arabia over the next few weeks. I even heard a conservative talk show host complain about our close relationship with the Saudis. "And we call these people our friends?" she asked.

Of course, they're NOT friends. They're business partners. Like many other countries, we help install dictators who will help us drain resources out of the country, while the people stand by, unable to do anything.

House of Fahd, you have my undivided attention.