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| Arabia | |
| Saudi Arabia's new King Salman promises continuity | |
| 2015-01-24 | |
| [BBC] Soddy Arabian ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... King Salman ...either the largest species of Pacific salmon or the current Sheikh of the Burnin' Sands, Cutodian of the Two Holy Mosquesand Lord of Most of the Arabians.... has pledged continuity, hours after his accession to the throne following the death of his half-brother, King Abdullah.
King Abdullah died overnight, weeks after being admitted to hospital with a lung infection. He was buried in an unmarked grave in Riyadh, following Friday prayers. His burial was conducted in line with the traditions of Wahhabism - the ultra-conservative form of Sunni Islam followed by the kingdom - where funerals are austere and simple. King Abdullah's body was wrapped in a shroud, and buried in a public cemetery after prayers attended by Gulf heads of state and some foreign leaders. 'Correct policies' Within hours of acceding to the throne, King Salman, 78, vowed to maintain the same policies as his predecessors. "We will continue adhering to the correct policies which Saudi Arabia has followed since its establishment," he said in a speech broadcast on state television ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe? The new king wrote on his official Twitter account: "I ask God to help me succeed in my service of the dear [Saudi] people." | |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #7 Arab political continuity has continued since the 7th century. But the Hashemites owned Arabia until the Brits took it away from them after the first world war and gave it to the House of Saud, borgboy. As I recall, the Hashemite lads were given the kingdoms of Iraq, Egypt and Jordan as recompense, the first two of which were promptly lost. I'm under the impression the Sauds moved up from a minor oasis back of the beyond somewhere. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2015-01-24 18:40 |
| #6 Arab political continuity has continued since the 7th century. |
| Posted by: borgboy 2015-01-24 17:04 |
| #5 If Salman is only a figurehead who's the real king? It sounds like he did a lot of the decision-making when he was crown prince, so presumably the new crown prince assisted by the new deputy crown prince will be carrying the load. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2015-01-24 11:14 |
| #4 Arab Joe Biden |
| Posted by: Frank G 2015-01-24 08:36 |
| #3 ..."but then he gets muddled and goes off message." I'll wager he'll do just fine, unless of course his "off message" moments are further aggravated by petulance, narcissism, and sports metaphors. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2015-01-24 08:14 |
| #2 '“He (Salman) can perform quite well for a few minutes, but then he gets muddled and goes off message,” said Simon Henderson, an authority on Saudi Arabia and succession issues at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.' If Salman is only a figurehead who's the real king? |
| Posted by: Elmerert Hupens2660 2015-01-24 08:03 |
| #1 Saudi Arabia's new King Salman fify. |
| Posted by: Hupineger Glomomp7492 2015-01-24 00:41 |