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Saturday, January 24, 2015 12:09:32 AM
Saudi's new King Salman likely to stay the course
Oren Dorell, USA TODAY 6:45 p.m. EST January 23, 2015 .. bits ..
(Photo: Saudi Press Agency) .. and ..
Some Saudi watchers, such as analyst David Weinberg at the Foundation for Defense of Democracy, say the country has turned away from reform, especially since the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011.
Crackdowns on government critics, women's activists, perceived sorcerers and witches, as well as violent extremists were conducted by the Ministry of Interior, headed by the man Salman appointed to be second in line to succeed him, Muhammed bin Nayef, Weinberg said.
Among bin Nayef's victims: Blogger Raif Badawi, who wrote that Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh had become "a den for terrorists," was convicted of insulting Islam and sentenced to 1,000 lashes, 10 years in prison and a fine.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/01/23/saudi-arabia-king-salman-profile/22230751/
---
The Next King of the Saudis: Salman, the Family Sherif
Manuel Lopez Figueroa/Reuters
Bruce Riedel Transitions 01.23.15
The new ruler of Saudi Arabia, the elderly King Salman, will have his hands full immediately with a Shia coup in Yemen destabilizing the country’s southern border.
The announcement of King Abdullah’s death puts Saudi Arabia in the hands of his designated successor, Prince Salman. Salman has his own health issues and faces an immediate crisis on the kingdom’s southern border in Yemen. Continuity will be Salman’s hallmark, including close ties to Washington.
Now King Salman, born Dec. 31, 1935, who is also defense minister, has been chairing cabinet meetings for several months and handling almost all foreign travel responsibilities for the monarchy since he became the heir in 2012. He has visited China, Japan, India, Pakistan, the Maldives, and France since becoming crown prince after the death of his predecessor, Prince Nayif. He has hosted a series of Saudi allies like Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, who paid their last respects quietly to Abdullah in the last week.
Before becoming crown prince, Salman was governor of Riyadh province for 48 years. When he became governor in 1963, Riyadh had 200,000 inhabitants; today, it has more than seven million. Salman presided over this remarkable transformation with a record for good governance and a lack of corruption. Since most of the royal princes and princesses live in Riyadh, he was also the family sheriff, ensuring any transgressions were dealt with smoothly and quietly with no publicity. He knows where all the bodies are hidden.
Salman also oversaw the collection of private funds to support the Afghan mujahideen in the 1980s, working very closely with the kingdom’s Wahhabi clerical establishment. In the early years of the war, before the U.S. and the kingdom ramped up their secret financial support for the anti-Soviet insurgency, this private Saudi funding was critical to the war effort. At the war’s peak, Salman was providing $25 million a month to the mujahideen. He was also active in raising money for the Bosnian Muslims in the war with Serbia.
Salman’s sons include the first Muslim astronaut, Prince Sultan, and the governor of Medinah, Prince Faysal. Another son, Prince Khaled, is a fighter pilot in the Royal Saudi Air Force and led the first RSAF mission against Islamic State targets in Syria last year. The family controls much of the Saudi media. All will now be up-and-comers.
---
Salman oversaw the collection of private funds to support the Afghan mujahideen in
the 1980s, working very closely with the kingdom's Wahhabi clerical establishmen.
---
Salman has his own health issues and has had a stroke. (Persistent rumors of dementia are denied by the palace.) His successor was announced in February 2013 to ensure continuity. Second Deputy Prime Minister Prince Muqrin was born Sept. 15, 1945 and was educated at the Royal Air Force College in England before becoming a pilot in the Royal Saudi Air Force. Later, he was governor of Medinah province and then head of Saudi intelligence. Muqrin is now crown prince.
Abdullah, Salman, and Muqrin are sons of the modern kingdom’s founder, Abdelaziz Ibn Saud, who had 44 recognized sons. The survivors and their heirs constitute the Allegiance Council, which Abdullah created in 2007 to help choose the line of succession. In practice it has only ratified the king’s decisions after the fact.
Muqrin is widely believed to be the last capable son of Ibn Saud. So now that Muqrin has ascended to the crown prince position the kingdom will face the unprecedented challenge of picking a next in line from the grandsons of Ibn Saud. That will raise questions of legitimacy not faced in the last century of Saudi rule.
Abdullah has been the de facto ruler of the kingdom since King Fahd suffered a debilitating stroke in 1995; he became king a decade later when Fahd passed away. A progressive reformer by Saudi standards, Abdullah gave the kingdom 20 years of stability. Salman is likely to provide continuity. The House of Saud values family collegiality and harmony highly. The two previous Saudi kingdoms in the 18th and 19th centuries were wracked by family internal squabbles which their foreign enemies exploited. Eleven of 14 successions were contested and the Saudis ended up in exile in Kuwait until Ibn Saud created the modern kingdom in 1902.
With the Arab world facing its worst crisis in decades, the royals will want to present an image of stability and strength. This is especially true with the collapse of the pro-Saudi government in Yemen, which will be Salman’s first crisis.
The Zaydi Houthi rebels who have all but disposed the pro-American government in Yemen this week have a slogan which reads, “Death to America, death to Israel, curses to the Jews and victory to Islam.” The collapse of President Abd Rabdu Mansour Hadi’s government, which openly supported American drone strikes in Yemen against Al Qaeda in the Arabian Pennisula for the last couple of years, puts a pro-Iranian anti-American Shia militia as the dominant player in a strategically important country. The Bab El Mandab, the straits between Asia and Africa, are one of the choke points of global energy and geopolitics. The leader of the Houthis gave a triumphal speech Tuesday and Iranian diplomats hailed his victory. The Houthis have fought a half-dozen border wars with the Saudis, who spent billions trying to keep them out of power.
The Houthis’ victory also ironically benefits AQAP by polarizing Yemen, the poorest country in the Arab world, between Shia and Sunni with AQAP emerging as the protector of Sunni rights. AQAP is fresh off its attack on Paris and has grown since 2009 into the most dangerous al Qaeda affiliate in the world. It is dedicated to overthrowing the House of Saud. Salman will have his hands full immediately.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/01/22/the-next-king-of-the-saudis-salman-the-family-sheriff.html
---
Yemen Houthis set demands amid standoff
Houthi leader demands implementation of power-sharing deal, as President Hadi's residence remains surrounded by rebels.
21 Jan 2015 10:06 GMT | War & Conflict, Middle East, Yemen
The leader of the Houthi rebels in Yemen has demanded that President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi implement a power-sharing deal, as rebels took over the presidential palace after months of political standoff.
Rebel leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi accused Hadi of "failing the Yemeni people" and said the president disrupted the implementation of the Peace and National Partnership Agreement (PNPA), which was struck after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in September.
--
"President Hadi is still in his home. There is no problem, he can leave."
Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, member of the Houthi politburo
--
On Wednesday, Houthi fighters stood guard outside the private residence of Hadi, whose home in the city centre is normally protected by presidential security officers, witnesses said.
Entry posts were empty and there was no sign of the presidential guard at the compound, scene of clashes between Houthis and guards on Tuesday, the witnesses said.
An official at the president's residence told Al Jazeera that Hadi had not been harmed in the clashes overnight. The president appeared to be under house arrest, the official added.
However, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi politburo, told Reuters: "President Hadi is still in his home. There is no problem, he can leave."
Houthi demands
Houthi fighters battled guards at Hadi's home and entered his palace on Tuesday, raising the stakes in a drive for more political power that has weakened state authority and thrown the Arab state deeper into turmoil.
In a televised speech hours after his fighters' display of force on Tuesday, al-Houthi warned Hadi that he had to implement the power-sharing deal.
RELATED: Yemen crisis explained
"At this historic and exceptional point in time, when conspiracies have been plotted against the country, there is a great danger facing Yemen,” al-Houthi said.
“Nothing will ever stop us from realising the peace and cooperation treaty. We will not be scared by foreign powers, the issue is crucial," the rebel leader added.
The rebels are demanding security solutions and reforms to the national decision-making body and reject the draft constitution that divides Yemen into six federal regions.
The Houthis appear to hold de facto power over the capital and most of the country after months of territorial gain that culminated in the capture of Sanaa last September.
However, the international community is standing by the president as the legitimate leader of Yemen.
Yemen analyst Peter Salisbury said it remains unclear how the ultimatum would affect the position of Hadi, who has not been heard from since the assault on his residence on Tuesday.
"You've got the international community saying that Hadi is the legitimate leader of the country, but at the same time he has no power, and he has no control of events.
"The Houthis like to point to their willingness to take part in the political process but whenever anything happens that is not to their liking, they respond with force, and they try to force the president's hand," Salisbury told Al Jazeera.
Cristian Barros Melet, Chile’s permanent representative to the United Nations and currently UN Security Council president, urged all parties to commit to dialogue after a closed Security Council session on Tuesday.
"The members of the Security Council condemn the recourse to violence in recent days, including the use of abduction, and urge all parties in Yemen to commit to established processes of dialogue and consultation." Foreign ministers from Gulf are due to hold an emergency meeting to address the unfolding events in Yemen.
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2015/01/yemen-houthis-sanaa-201512191137352791.html
.. Salman sure looks different in the two .. the Bush/Cheney criminal invasion of 2003 gave a real impetus
to a very dicey scenario .. it was basically about oil, but it sure worked out to be about one helluva lot more ..
Oren Dorell, USA TODAY 6:45 p.m. EST January 23, 2015 .. bits ..
(Photo: Saudi Press Agency) .. and ..
Some Saudi watchers, such as analyst David Weinberg at the Foundation for Defense of Democracy, say the country has turned away from reform, especially since the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011.
Crackdowns on government critics, women's activists, perceived sorcerers and witches, as well as violent extremists were conducted by the Ministry of Interior, headed by the man Salman appointed to be second in line to succeed him, Muhammed bin Nayef, Weinberg said.
Among bin Nayef's victims: Blogger Raif Badawi, who wrote that Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh had become "a den for terrorists," was convicted of insulting Islam and sentenced to 1,000 lashes, 10 years in prison and a fine.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/01/23/saudi-arabia-king-salman-profile/22230751/
---
The Next King of the Saudis: Salman, the Family Sherif
Manuel Lopez Figueroa/Reuters
Bruce Riedel Transitions 01.23.15
The new ruler of Saudi Arabia, the elderly King Salman, will have his hands full immediately with a Shia coup in Yemen destabilizing the country’s southern border.
The announcement of King Abdullah’s death puts Saudi Arabia in the hands of his designated successor, Prince Salman. Salman has his own health issues and faces an immediate crisis on the kingdom’s southern border in Yemen. Continuity will be Salman’s hallmark, including close ties to Washington.
Now King Salman, born Dec. 31, 1935, who is also defense minister, has been chairing cabinet meetings for several months and handling almost all foreign travel responsibilities for the monarchy since he became the heir in 2012. He has visited China, Japan, India, Pakistan, the Maldives, and France since becoming crown prince after the death of his predecessor, Prince Nayif. He has hosted a series of Saudi allies like Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, who paid their last respects quietly to Abdullah in the last week.
Before becoming crown prince, Salman was governor of Riyadh province for 48 years. When he became governor in 1963, Riyadh had 200,000 inhabitants; today, it has more than seven million. Salman presided over this remarkable transformation with a record for good governance and a lack of corruption. Since most of the royal princes and princesses live in Riyadh, he was also the family sheriff, ensuring any transgressions were dealt with smoothly and quietly with no publicity. He knows where all the bodies are hidden.
Salman also oversaw the collection of private funds to support the Afghan mujahideen in the 1980s, working very closely with the kingdom’s Wahhabi clerical establishment. In the early years of the war, before the U.S. and the kingdom ramped up their secret financial support for the anti-Soviet insurgency, this private Saudi funding was critical to the war effort. At the war’s peak, Salman was providing $25 million a month to the mujahideen. He was also active in raising money for the Bosnian Muslims in the war with Serbia.
Salman’s sons include the first Muslim astronaut, Prince Sultan, and the governor of Medinah, Prince Faysal. Another son, Prince Khaled, is a fighter pilot in the Royal Saudi Air Force and led the first RSAF mission against Islamic State targets in Syria last year. The family controls much of the Saudi media. All will now be up-and-comers.
---
Salman oversaw the collection of private funds to support the Afghan mujahideen in
the 1980s, working very closely with the kingdom's Wahhabi clerical establishmen.
---
Salman has his own health issues and has had a stroke. (Persistent rumors of dementia are denied by the palace.) His successor was announced in February 2013 to ensure continuity. Second Deputy Prime Minister Prince Muqrin was born Sept. 15, 1945 and was educated at the Royal Air Force College in England before becoming a pilot in the Royal Saudi Air Force. Later, he was governor of Medinah province and then head of Saudi intelligence. Muqrin is now crown prince.
Abdullah, Salman, and Muqrin are sons of the modern kingdom’s founder, Abdelaziz Ibn Saud, who had 44 recognized sons. The survivors and their heirs constitute the Allegiance Council, which Abdullah created in 2007 to help choose the line of succession. In practice it has only ratified the king’s decisions after the fact.
Muqrin is widely believed to be the last capable son of Ibn Saud. So now that Muqrin has ascended to the crown prince position the kingdom will face the unprecedented challenge of picking a next in line from the grandsons of Ibn Saud. That will raise questions of legitimacy not faced in the last century of Saudi rule.
Abdullah has been the de facto ruler of the kingdom since King Fahd suffered a debilitating stroke in 1995; he became king a decade later when Fahd passed away. A progressive reformer by Saudi standards, Abdullah gave the kingdom 20 years of stability. Salman is likely to provide continuity. The House of Saud values family collegiality and harmony highly. The two previous Saudi kingdoms in the 18th and 19th centuries were wracked by family internal squabbles which their foreign enemies exploited. Eleven of 14 successions were contested and the Saudis ended up in exile in Kuwait until Ibn Saud created the modern kingdom in 1902.
With the Arab world facing its worst crisis in decades, the royals will want to present an image of stability and strength. This is especially true with the collapse of the pro-Saudi government in Yemen, which will be Salman’s first crisis.
The Zaydi Houthi rebels who have all but disposed the pro-American government in Yemen this week have a slogan which reads, “Death to America, death to Israel, curses to the Jews and victory to Islam.” The collapse of President Abd Rabdu Mansour Hadi’s government, which openly supported American drone strikes in Yemen against Al Qaeda in the Arabian Pennisula for the last couple of years, puts a pro-Iranian anti-American Shia militia as the dominant player in a strategically important country. The Bab El Mandab, the straits between Asia and Africa, are one of the choke points of global energy and geopolitics. The leader of the Houthis gave a triumphal speech Tuesday and Iranian diplomats hailed his victory. The Houthis have fought a half-dozen border wars with the Saudis, who spent billions trying to keep them out of power.
The Houthis’ victory also ironically benefits AQAP by polarizing Yemen, the poorest country in the Arab world, between Shia and Sunni with AQAP emerging as the protector of Sunni rights. AQAP is fresh off its attack on Paris and has grown since 2009 into the most dangerous al Qaeda affiliate in the world. It is dedicated to overthrowing the House of Saud. Salman will have his hands full immediately.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/01/22/the-next-king-of-the-saudis-salman-the-family-sheriff.html
---
Yemen Houthis set demands amid standoff
Houthi leader demands implementation of power-sharing deal, as President Hadi's residence remains surrounded by rebels.
21 Jan 2015 10:06 GMT | War & Conflict, Middle East, Yemen
The leader of the Houthi rebels in Yemen has demanded that President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi implement a power-sharing deal, as rebels took over the presidential palace after months of political standoff.
Rebel leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi accused Hadi of "failing the Yemeni people" and said the president disrupted the implementation of the Peace and National Partnership Agreement (PNPA), which was struck after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in September.
--
"President Hadi is still in his home. There is no problem, he can leave."
Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, member of the Houthi politburo
--
On Wednesday, Houthi fighters stood guard outside the private residence of Hadi, whose home in the city centre is normally protected by presidential security officers, witnesses said.
Entry posts were empty and there was no sign of the presidential guard at the compound, scene of clashes between Houthis and guards on Tuesday, the witnesses said.
An official at the president's residence told Al Jazeera that Hadi had not been harmed in the clashes overnight. The president appeared to be under house arrest, the official added.
However, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi politburo, told Reuters: "President Hadi is still in his home. There is no problem, he can leave."
Houthi demands
Houthi fighters battled guards at Hadi's home and entered his palace on Tuesday, raising the stakes in a drive for more political power that has weakened state authority and thrown the Arab state deeper into turmoil.
In a televised speech hours after his fighters' display of force on Tuesday, al-Houthi warned Hadi that he had to implement the power-sharing deal.
RELATED: Yemen crisis explained
"At this historic and exceptional point in time, when conspiracies have been plotted against the country, there is a great danger facing Yemen,” al-Houthi said.
“Nothing will ever stop us from realising the peace and cooperation treaty. We will not be scared by foreign powers, the issue is crucial," the rebel leader added.
The rebels are demanding security solutions and reforms to the national decision-making body and reject the draft constitution that divides Yemen into six federal regions.
The Houthis appear to hold de facto power over the capital and most of the country after months of territorial gain that culminated in the capture of Sanaa last September.
However, the international community is standing by the president as the legitimate leader of Yemen.
Yemen analyst Peter Salisbury said it remains unclear how the ultimatum would affect the position of Hadi, who has not been heard from since the assault on his residence on Tuesday.
"You've got the international community saying that Hadi is the legitimate leader of the country, but at the same time he has no power, and he has no control of events.
"The Houthis like to point to their willingness to take part in the political process but whenever anything happens that is not to their liking, they respond with force, and they try to force the president's hand," Salisbury told Al Jazeera.
Cristian Barros Melet, Chile’s permanent representative to the United Nations and currently UN Security Council president, urged all parties to commit to dialogue after a closed Security Council session on Tuesday.
"The members of the Security Council condemn the recourse to violence in recent days, including the use of abduction, and urge all parties in Yemen to commit to established processes of dialogue and consultation." Foreign ministers from Gulf are due to hold an emergency meeting to address the unfolding events in Yemen.
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2015/01/yemen-houthis-sanaa-201512191137352791.html
.. Salman sure looks different in the two .. the Bush/Cheney criminal invasion of 2003 gave a real impetus
to a very dicey scenario .. it was basically about oil, but it sure worked out to be about one helluva lot more ..
It was Plato who said, “He, O men, is the wisest, who like Socrates, knows that his wisdom is in truth worth nothing”
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