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| Arabia |
| The Saudi leadership shuffle |
| 2015-04-30 |
| [CNN] With the announcement Interior Minister Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef becomes next in line to the Saudi throne, and the King's own son Defense Minister Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in line after him, Soddy Arabia ...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... 's ruler 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 at a stroke modernized the face of the monarchy. The question is: In preparing the monarchy for the future, has King Salman modernized the country? Saudi is typical for the Gulf -- by far the majority of its population is under 30 years old. But elsewhere in the region, younger leaders are increasingly the norm. Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates... is a point in case. The current Emir is just 35 years old, and his father was in his early 60s when he was ousted two years ago. And yet in Saudi Arabia, since the country's founder, Abdulaziz Ibn Saud, died in 1953, only his sons have been King -- passing the throne brother to brother, resulting an aging monarchy in an evermore youthful region. Now, the next in line to the throne are from the "next" generation: nephew and son of the King. That is significant and seems in line with Saudi Arabia's changing role in the region. The Arab Spring of 2011 saw the youthful Qataris get out ahead of bigger neighbor Saudi Arabia, throwing money and influence at a multitude of causes. The Saudis were to a degree caught flat-footed, slow to respond to regional turmoil and protect their interests. But over the past couple of years the last King -- King Abdullah -- ramped up defense and security spending, setting the stage for a more muscular foreign policy. Under the new King and his two Crown Princes, Saudi Arabia has flexed that muscle in Yemen, with as many as 100 bombing sorties a day for over a month hitting Houthis and army units loyal to Yemen's ousted President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it... . Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali al Khamenei was quick to criticize, targeting, what else, but age: "Despite disputes, Saudis used to display composure with us, but now inexperienced youngsters have come to power and replaced composure with barbarism." That was early April before the recent reshuffle. So, far from recoiling at sharp barbs over youth, the Saudis seem to wear the criticism as a badge of honor. In a country where change happens so slowly, these new appointments, if not altogether unexpected, are a sign of a more outward looking future. |
| Posted by:Fred |