[Dawn] THERE is little surprise that Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, a son of Soddy Arabia`s founder and an influential royal, has been declared crown prince of the desert kingdom after the recent death of former heir Prince Sultan. The decision by the Saudi royal court indicates that the Allegiance Council, a conclave of senior princes formed by King Abdullah soon after the death of the previous ruler Fahd, has apparently passed its first test. However, denial ain't just a river in Egypt... the appointment of Nayef, who is approaching 80, may disappoint many in Soddy Arabia and outside as they had been hoping for a change in the absolute monarchy`s socio-political set-up. Prince Nayef, who has headed the powerful interior ministry since 1975, is seen as an arch-conservative who is stiffly opposed to political and social reform and who enjoys close links with the country`s Wahabi establishment. He has reportedly incarcerated dissidents and is not in favour of elections, as opposed to the relatively more moderate King Abdullah. At the same time, the prince has played a central role in the kingdom`s successful fight against Al Qaeda ever since the latter launched a violent campaign inside Soddy Arabia in 2003.
The political change in Soddy Arabia comes at a time when the Arab world is in flux. Leading Saudi allies, such as Egypt`s Hosni Mubarak, ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... have been sent packing while others such as the Al Khalifa family in Bahrain have faced serious challenges to their power. Domestically, although Soddy Arabia has managed to largely insulate itself from the threatening winds of the Arab Spring, there have been increasing calls for change, especially in the oil-rich, Shia-dominated east of the country. The world will watch closely which course Soddy Arabia takes with the new crown prince, while a younger generation of royals prepares to take over as the monarchy`s ageing leadership begins to fade away.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/30/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
OK!, what's going on here. Why now do the Saudi openly offer reward money for the capture of Israeli soldiers.Is it now open for all to see or is there a new sheriff in town. Abdul Aziz
[Dawn] WHILE America continues to stress the importance of moving forward with the US-Pakistain relationship, and especially with the Afghan reconciliation process, complications continue to surface. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton`s ... sometimes described as The Woman to Call at 3 a.m. and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another Edward Everett ... congressional testimony on Thursday reiterated some of the messages that came out of her visit to Islamabad earlier this month. For one, while continuing to take a hard line against any Pak support for forces of Evil launching attacks in Afghanistan, it reinforced the positive notes that had been struck regarding the US-Pakistain relationship. She stated Pakistain`s importance for regional stability in very direct language, noting that there is "no solution without Pakistain" and "no stable future" in the region without a US-Pakistain relationship. She also argued that at no point did the CIA chief and the defence secretary suggest ending engagement with Pakistain despite their concerns about the Haqqani network. Second, she repeated earlier statements that the Haqqani network should be squeezed, with Pakistain`s help, even as it is negotiated with. But her testimony broadened US language beyond the Haqqanis, noting that any settlement would have to include the Afghan Taliban head Mullah Omar. ... a minor Pashtun commander in the war against the Soviets who made good as leader of the Taliban. As ruler of Afghanistan, he took the title Leader of the Faithful. The imposition of Pashtunkhwa on the nation institutionalized ignorance and brutality already notable for its own fair share of ignorance and brutality... But news that came out at the same time from Pakistain`s foreign policy and security establishments indicated how knotty this process is going to be. The Foreign Office raised objections to a draft declaration circulated in advance of the upcoming Istanbul conference on the way forward in Afghanistan. The main issue seems to be the breadth of a contact group proposed by the US, which would include not just Afghanistan`s immediate neighbours but a number of regional players including India and Central Asian states. Meanwhile, ...back at the sea battle, the Terror of the Baltic's career had come to an abrupt and watery end... the ISPR chief said in a media interview that Pakistain had yet to be informed about any operational details of the reconciliation process, including its road map, who it should talk to and the roles of various stakeholders.
The broader the circle of stakeholders beyond Afghanistan`s immediate neighbours, the more the process will raise concerns among the establishment about Pakistain`s own influence over the outcome and even about national security. And while the foreign minister sounded eager to move forward with the process during Ms Clinton`s visits, the military does not seem to feel that Pakistain has been made as integral a part of the process as America`s public statements would suggest. Nor is this the first time that it has expressed this concern. Taken together, Thursday`s statements indicate some nervousness on Pakistain`s part about the shape the talks will take even as momentum builds towards them.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/30/2011 00:00 ||
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By Abraham Rabinovich - Special to The Washington Times
According to Wikipedia:
Abraham Rabinovich is a historian and journalist who has published several books on recent Jewish history As a reporter, his work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The New Republic, and the Christian Science Monitor. Before becoming a writer full-time, he was employed as a staff journalist for Newsday and the Jerusalem Post. He is a graduate of Brooklyn College and a veteran of the United States Army.
#3
I don't think Israel will do anything until the Syria situation resolves. Its been 6 months and if anything things are deteriating for the Assad regime.
#7
Agree wid #5 - the only rationale I can see for Israel = Knesset to agree to this swap would be iff the latter is hoping that HAMAS = PA will be able to control-iff-not-kick-out AQ, Hezbollah, + the more violent Paleo radical groups.
IMO, IOW Israel is counting on the PA to turn agz local + regional extermism, + is offering NOMINAL ECON + SECURITY "ALLIANCE" FEELERS to the PA because it also knows that the bulk of regional Muslim Govts-States historically don't care for the Paleos outside of common hatred agz Jewish Israel, hence are more likely to put the burden of supporting, developing the new PA State squarely on enemy Israel + the US-West. CONVERSELY, IT INFERS THAT THAT ISRAEL IS COUNTING ON US-NATO/EU SUPPORT FOR "GUARANTEE" THE SECURITY OF BOTH ISRAEL + NEW PA STATE???
#9
As much as I respect The Washington Times, having been a subscriber since 1982; the authors premise seems like a total credibility stretch to "this here" Troll. Not buying itNo Way, No How.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
THERE is little surprise that Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, a son of 
Hillary Clinton`s
By Abraham Rabinovich - Special to The Washington Times
