Geopolitical Diary: A Saudi Power Struggle?
Stratfor ^ | 12/15/06
Posted on Saturday, December 16, 2006 7:39:09 PM by Valin
The sands are shifting in the Saudi kingdom,...
The questions began with the out-of-the-blue resignation of Saudi Ambassador to the United States Turki al-Faisal on Monday. Prince Turki said he resigned to spend more time with his family — the usual excuse given for abrupt diplomatic departures — but his absence has raised questions in Washington regarding the stability of the Saudi royal family.
There is no question that Prince Turki’s brother, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, is ailing, and that Prince Turki would want to ensure the al-Faisal faction stays intact by assuming his position should Saud end up dying or become incapacitated. But sources in the Saudi Embassy and personal friends of Prince Turki have recently indicated that he is not held in high regard by Saudi King Abdullah and could not be getting a promotion after all.
Prince Turki assumed his ambassadorship in Washington after Prince Bandar bin Sultan left the position in June 2005 (also citing personal reasons). Soon after Sultan returned to Riyadh, he assumed an elite position as the secretary-general of Saudi Arabia’s National Security Council (NSC) — a recent creation by King Abdullah that was designed to formalize the decision-making process in the Saudi political system and consolidate power for the Sudeiri clan. Prince Turki, meanwhile, was expected to put a fresh face on Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic offices in Washington, but apparently did not see eye-to-eye with King Abdullah on a number of issues.
Tensions between Prince Turki and King Abdullah escalated in the wake of the summer war in Lebanon, when the prince furiously objected to private meetings between Prince Bandar and the Israelis. These were primarily consultations on how to put a lid on Iranian aggressions in the region, and had the approval of King Abdullah.
(Excerpt) Read more at stratfor.com ...
interesting.
stratfor is usually on the mark.
but back to the beginning, change or no change,
the bush family i would argue understands the saudis in general better than obama ever will.
i could be wrong, and usually am.