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Saudi Arabia-2: the Saudis take RiyadhAugust 1, 2005[ Intro; Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 ]
Fahd ibn Abdul Aziz, the King of Saudi Arabia, died a few hours ago (AFP). Since 1995, Crown Prince Abdullah has been reponsible for the governing of the Kingdom, so I doubt there should be significant transition shocks; moreover, much of King Fahd's influence began at least seven years before his accession to the monarchy, in 1975 (under his predecessor, Khalid ibn Abdul Aziz, r.1975-1982). For this reason, Fahd is credited with the massive investments in infrastructure that accompanied the boom years 1973-1981.
The Saudi family is an unusual entity, both in the immense power it holds (to dispose of the country's colossal oil wealth) and in its great size. The late Abdul Aziz ibn Abdul Rahman ("Ibn Saud") was reported to have had an immense number of wives and at least 37 sons, including the last four kings, the crown prince, and the presumptive successor to Abdullah. One of these sons, Faisal, was killed by his nephew in 1975—reflecting, no doubt, the toll of family affections such diffusion is likely to cause.
UPDATE: I assured readers I would write more about this, and indeed, Fahd's death is an excellent occasion to reflect on the importance of the Saudi family, the importance of oil, and the peculiar role of the Arabian peninsula in recent history. I am therefore going to follow up with five chapters: |
