Thank you. It sounds like they bear a resemblance to the Muslim Brotherhood in their religious ferocity and desire to sever ties with the West. Is their any actual connection?
As to succession, the main rivalry is between the two branches of the family of half-brothers, the al Sauds which is headed by Crown Prince Abdullah and the 'Sudairi Seven' the seven brothers who hold strategic ministries. The key Sudairi leaders include King Fahd; Minister of Defense Prince Sultan; Prince Naif, the Minister of Interior; and Prince Salman, the governor of Riyadh; although some add Abd al-Rahman, the Deputy Minister of Defense.
Crown Prince Abdullah has no brothers. This is a huge political liability counterbalanced somewhat by the Bedouin ties giving him tribal support which you mentioned. His mother was Bedouin. Chances are great that the succession after Abdullah will pass to the Sudairi branch.
Prince Bandar the longtime Saudi Ambassador to the US is an illegitimate son of Prince Sultan the Minister of Defense, a Sudairi.
Here's a good FR summary --
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/812214/posts