Posted on 03/08/2019 11:13:00 PM PST by blueplum
There are growing signs of a potentially destabilising rift between the king of Saudi Arabia and his heir, the Guardian has been told.
King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are understood to have disagreed over a number of important policy issues in recent weeks, including the war in Yemen.
The unease is said to have been building since the murder in Turkey of the dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which the CIA has reportedly concluded was ordered by Prince Mohammed. However, these tensions increased dramatically in late February when the king, 83, visited Egypt and was warned by his advisers he was at risk of a potential move against him, according to a detailed account from a source.
His entourage was so alarmed at the possible threat to his authority that a new security team, comprised of more than 30 hand-picked loyalists from the interior ministry, was flown to Egypt to replace the existing team.
The move was made as part of a rapid response, and reflected concern that some of the original security staff might have been loyal to the prince, the source said.
The king’s advisers also dismissed Egyptian security personnel who were guarding him while he was in Egypt, the source added....
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
This guy's journalism career consisted of writing two op-eds for the Washington Post, as I understand it.
I've written letters to the Los Angeles Times, so I guess I'm a journalist too.
Do we have other journalists out there in FReeper Gulch?
Either one or both of them will soon die of “natural” causes.
so the Guardian would like to believe.
I hope not both. Then we’d have a passel of princes duking it out for the gold chair - and that would be an unholy mess.
I once had a letter published by the local big city broadsheet, so I suppose I’m a journalist too.
“Journalist” is a common cover occupation for intelligence operatives. Jamal Khashoggi was an operative for the Muslim Brotherhood. While I don’t like how he was handled, people get killed by the state without much in the way of a trial all the time in the Middle Eastern tyrannies (pretty much everywhere except Israel).
I am simply not getting all wee-wee’d up about Khashoggi.
“This guy’s journalism career consisted of writing two op-eds for the Washington Post”
I seem to recall that a Muslim Brotherhood operative was named, who played a major role in the actual writing, so that Khashoggi was just more of a front man for the Brotherhood’s Op-eds.
It could just be a general purpose security measure as well, because Egypt is a hotbed of the anti-Saudi Muslim Brotherhood, who have deep sleeper agent throughout society, and famously managed to assassinate their own President (Anwar Sadat) before.
““Journalist” is a common cover occupation for intelligence operatives.”
This guy’s whole life shouts Intel Community. His uncle Adnan Khashoggi was a major player in the Iran Contra Affair during the 1980’s.
I wondered whether they were related. Anan was also involved in filmmaking.
Exactly. Only the Washington Post and the like think we’re dumb enough to buy he was a “journalist”. I’m sticking with Muslim Brotherhood operative.
This is inevitable in an oligarchy, there are about 2000 people key members of the Saud family (out of the roughly 10,000 family members). Each one knows that thier lives and fortunes depend upon 1) keeping the people satisfied, 2) maintaining the support of the Wahabbist religious leadership. They drew these lessons from the demise of the Pahlavi dynasty in Iran.
Mohammad bin Salman (MbS) has been a masterful at convincing the family that he was smart and politically astute, capable of modernizing the Kingdom, improving their global stature, and diversify the Kingdoms wealth (like the UAE is doing).
Instead, he has the Saudis tied to the morass in Yemen, and this ham-fisted assasination debacle (it doesn’t matter if Kahshoggi was the MB’s grand poohbah or just a flunky) has completely undermined the Saudi global diplomatic position. A lot of people, both in and outside the Kingdom now perceive him as both arrogant and stupid, a combination no one wants in a leader.
It is not surprising that some family members are looking to dump him.
Sounds more like this left-wing rag is trying to gin up another game of lets-you-and-him-fight after the Khashoggi try failed.
The Guardian stirring the pot without any facts.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.