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August 01, 2005

The Resilient Saudi Dynasty

Michael Binyon at The Times Online contends that the "secretive, conservative and cautious" House of Saud "is one of the most resilient dynasties in the world." He added:

It has suffered numerous shocks that would have toppled less agile monarchies: the assassination of King Faisal in 1975, the occupation of the Grand Mosque in Mecca by extremists in 1979, pitched battles with Iranian pilgrims, war with Iraq and a terrorist campaign by al-Qaeda that has brought the country to the brink of civil war. Yet its rulers have used appeasement, guile and brute force to thwart all enemies and remain, precariously, in power.
True, but important question are: How much longer will it work?

How much longer will the public tolerate rule by the House of Saud? If most Saudis continue to tolerate the dynasty, when will younger members of the House of Saud demand that the old guys step aside?

What happens if they do make such a demand? If the old guys step aside, will the young rulers do the bidding of the United States like the old guard?

I don't have the answers.

For more of Mr. Binyon's commentary, see "Riddles in the sand kingdom."

Posted by Munir Umrani at August 1, 2005 09:13 PM

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