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Saudi King in Hospital: Succession Crisis Looms

(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Simon Henderson - The official announcement that King Abdullah, 91, had been taken to a Riyadh hospital suggests serious concern about the health of the monarch, who uses a walker. Theoretically, his successor would be his half brother Crown Prince Salman, who is 78. But Salman's brain is evidently ravaged by dementia. Visitors report that after a few minutes of conversation, he becomes incoherent. The fact that he appears in public at all is attributed to the ambition of his closest relatives that he should become king. A power vacuum in Riyadh following the death or extended hospitalization of the Saudi monarch will prompt concern in international capitals. The U.S. will need to emphasize the importance of competent leadership emerging quickly. The writer is director of the Gulf and Energy Policy Program at The Washington Institute.
2015-01-02 00:00:00
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