With one-foot in the grave King Salman has made his son Mohammed bin Salman the crown prince and wants to make him king but the loyalty of other princes is not guaranteed.
King Salman’s dismissal of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and elevation of his own son Mohammed bin Salman to the post while widely expected still came as a surprise.
Yes, you read that right. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the American spy agency that specializes in killing foreign leaders and is the principal sponsor of global terrorism, has awarded a medal to Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef for fighting terrorism.
What socio-political issues are likely to dominate the year 2016? ICIT director provides some pointers and food for thought.
The Najdi Bedouins’ (aka Bani Saud or the House of Saud) hold on power has always been tenuous. It has become even more precarious because of recent developments in the region. Things are not working out as they had hoped for and their ill-conceived and totally destructive policies have constrained their options even further.
Hoping for a security agreement, the GCC dictators returned empty-handed from Washington except for promises of more killing toys that they can use against fellow Muslims but not Zionist Israel.
While no individual is indispensable, the Saudi regime is facing serious internal and external challenges that point toward its demise sooner rather than later.
The death of King Abdullah (he was 90) on January 23 has exposed the deep fissures in the artificial ‘Saudi’ kingdom. People are demanding their basic rights and will settle for nothing less.
The death of King Abdullah has finally opened up space for the next generation of Saudi royals to step into the limelight. The new King Salman announced that Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, currently serving as Interior Minister, has been appointed Deputy Crown Prince. This ensures his position as future king from among the grandsons of Abd al Aziz ibn Saud. Mohammed's choice as future king reveals the regime's nervousness about internal threats.
