(Institute for Contemporary Affairs/Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Mordechai Abir - King Abdallah, the late King Fahd's successor, is a conservative ascetic who was never considered corrupt by the population, unlike other members of the al-Saud family. Abdallah succeeded in winning the support of the religious establishment for his all-out assault against hard-line Wahhabis and their Saudi al-Qaeda disciples. While Abdallah has rejected demands by younger Western-educated princes, the intelligentsia, and the middle class for faster reform, this group has grudgingly supported his claim for power against his reactionary Sudairi half-brothers and their conservative camp. Having avoided a struggle for power within the royal family by appointing Prince Sultan as his crown prince (and possibly his powerful and ultra-conservative brother, Na'if, the minister of interior, to be eventually second-in-line of succession), the ascension of Abdallah should prevent instability in the world's largest oil producer and is likely to further consolidate cooperation between Riyadh and Washington.
2005-08-03 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive