Saudi Arabia thread

[Hash]

I thought some kind of random all-purpose thread on Saudi Arabia would be useful, as would some kind of overview of the history and random political stuff which breaks the media's common myths about the place or the media's total incomprehension of Saudi history. This is thus very politically incorrect.

History

The original core of the Al-Saud clan, one of many Bedouin clans, is found in Ad-Diriyah, a town located slightly outside of Riyadh. Riyadh, which means 'oasis' or 'source' in Arabic denotes that there was some kind of water hole located here, something crucial given that the entire region, Nejd, is an arid desertic plateau.

The First Saudi State (1744-1818), emerged in Nejd around Diriyah, because of an alliance between the Al-Saud clan and Islamic conservative cleric Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab which aimed to build a political-religious alliance which sought to return the peninsula to traditional Islamic values which they thought the Ottomans, who never really controlled Nejd, did not follow. Their conquest of the Ottoman-controlled Holy Cities didn't go down well with the Ottomans, who got the viceroy of Egypt, Muhammad Ali Pasha, to crush the Saudis and destroy Diriyah. Interestingly, there is some evidence that Napoleon sought to create a Saudi-French alliance in the 1790s-1800s which he could use as allies in a potential invasion of the Fertile Crescent and India.

Given that the region is a hellhole with no resource and that invading that region is a hundred times worse than invading Russia in winter, the Ottomans didn't stay there long. A Second Saudi State (1824-1891) reemerged, now based in Riyadh. It fell after internal squabbles between the Saud clan and was conquered by the Al-Rashid dynasty of Ha'il, another Nejd oasis town (though to the north of Riyadh, nearer to Iraq). The Al-Rashids, a rival clan, were also allied to the Ottomans out of convenience while the Sauds found refuge with the friendly ruler of Kuwait.

Led by Abdul Aziz, aka Ibn Saud, a fraction of the Saud clan, led a makeshift expedition in 1901-1902 to recapture Riyadh. In a battle which the Saudi regime passes off as epic and world-shattering, Ibn Saud's makeshift army killed the Rashidi guards while they were sleeping and captured Masmak Castle, the Rashidi HQ. Despite Ottoman aid to the Al-Rashids, Ibn Saud was able to capture most of Nejd and expand into Ottoman-held Hasa (the east coast) in the 1910s.

One of Ibn Saud's main strengths was the fact that he was keen on making alliances with tribes and Bedouin clans, as well as re-forging the old state-religious alliance with the conservative clerics. In 1912, he founded the Ikhwan, a powerful local army of Bedouins and clerics, which managed to destroy the Rashidis by 1922. He was also helped by the nature of his main opponents, the Hashemites, which ruled Hejaz. During WWI, the British made the stupid decision of allying Sharif Hussein's Hashemites rather than the Sauds, the sworn rivals of the 'decadent' Hashemites (who controlled the Holy Cities). That being said, the British also funded the Saudis at the same time, but British leadership and Lawrence of Arabia in particular were heavily pro-Hashemite.

Sharif Hussein, post-war, still controlled the Hejaz and thus Makkah, while his sons (thankfully, they were mentally stable) got Iraq and Transjordan. Hussein being mentally unstable and a nutjob by nature and growingly senile by 1924, declared himself Caliph and potentially had aims of building a new Caliphate. Thankfully, the Saudis cut him off right there and conquered Hejaz and thus Makkah and Madinah. The British, in their traditional style, recognized the Saudi state (as long as they didn't encroach on the remaining Hashemite territories in Transjordan and Iraq). Ibn Saud later crushed rebellious elements in the Ikhwan, killed off a joke state in Asir and had a short war against Imam Yahya of Yemen which cemented Saudi control over Najran and southern Asir.

Oil was discovered on the east coast in 1938 and oil exploitation was entrusted to ARAMCO, then an American consortium led by Standard Oil-Texas Oil. For the record, the British had the monopoly of oil exploitation in Iraq, Iran and Kuwait, so Ibn Saud's deal with the Americans was quite important back then.

Ibn Saud consolidated support within the country's tribal base by marrying a bunch of clans and tribes and having roughly 37 sons from 22 wives or so.

Ibn Saud died in 1953 and was succeeded by his eldest son, Saud. However, Saud was (officially) a money-waster and spender and, most importantly (and unofficially), a bad alcoholic (which explains why he always wore sunglasses). He was deposed by his more able and competent half-brother, Faisal, in 1964, after Faisal had forged an alliance with his half-brothers from the Sudairi clan.

Faisal modernized the country through a close alliance with US public and private interests, which led to massive American presence and investment in the country, dominating everything from oil to new telecommunications, aerial transportation and television services. Faisal brought in modern telecommunications (TV, telephones), a welfare state and education (albeit of a very religious nature). Introduction of things such as TV and external influences were not done without much protests from the conservative clerics. To prevent strikes (which were banned), the government gave public employees massive job security which holds to this day. In foreign policy, he squabbled with Egypt's pan-Arab nationalism in a proxy war in Yemen in the mid 60s, and most notably led the 1973 Arab boycott of US oil and thus the oil crisis. Faisal was assassinated in 1975 in Riyadh by his half-brother's son, who was of conservative nature.

He was succeeded by his half-brother Khalid, who was a low-key guy who preferred falcons to governing. Yet, due to favourable financial windfall, he was able to solidify the Saudi welfare and healthcare system (which is of high quality). It was during his reign that the Grand Mosque in Makkah was seized by conservatives in 1979. He died in 1982 and was succeeded by Fahd, his Deputy PM.

Fahd, also a bad alcoholic (and lavish spender, big time) who spent most time in his huge resort in Spain, ruled only until his 1995 stroke. Although he mollified the conservative religious base with his anti-reformist nature and his lavish funding for religious education and massive "foreign aid" to unsavoury Muslim groups abroad, his 1991 decision to allow American troops to be based on Saudi soil in the Persian War led to a break between the far-right religious base and the monarchy. These folks, notably Osama bin Laden (bin Laden being a prominent Saudi family), decried the lavish spending by the Al-Sauds and their rather unpious nature.

Crown Prince Abdullah took over unofficially as early as 1995, and presided over the start of insurgency (1996 Khobar bombings, 1997 car bombs in Riyadh, May 12 2003 compound bombings in Riyadh, 2004 Yanbu attack, 2004 random assassinations of westerns, 2004 security complex bombing in Riyadh) which led to a crackdown on terrorists, with US blessing, which began in 2005. 2004-2005 saw massive gunfights between both sides, and terrorists were rounded up, routinely tortured and killed/detained. Those not detained are sometimes later released and enrolled in a government-led program which gives them a job and allows them to start anew (and it's vastly successful).

King Abdullah, aged 86, is rather frail but isn't yet senile. He is a mild reformist, who has hinted that he supports women driving though the religious clerics are opposed; and he is also keener than usual on some kind of interfaith dialogue and even some kind of conditional negotiations with Israel (albeit conditions on Israel are heavy: full return of the Golan etc.)

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Politics

One of the crucial things to know about Saudi Arabia in 2010 is that oil revenues have kept the country afloat very well during the recession (like in Brazil, it's been basically unfelt) and the oil revenues also allow for a massive royal family... and massive public service. The state is keen to shut up on how much oil is left, but rumours say there isn't much left and the state has taken some action to limit drilling. That being said, new natural gas reserves provide good backup.

In the 1950s, Ibn Saud and the Americans made a deal which gave 50% of oil revenues to the Al-Saud family, which is one of the world's wealthiest and obviously biggest family with approximately 7000 members. It has married pretty much every historic tribe and clan in a Bedouin-culture and dominated nation. Rivals of yesterday are now very much active in Saudi economic life. Case in point with the Al-Rashids, which own hospitals, compounds, shopping centres and are extremely wealthy.

Succession is, since Saud, horizontal: all Kings since Saud are sons of Ibn Saud and the likely successor is as well. However, recently, the age of these people (all are over 70, iirc), makes a dramatic shift to the second generation more likely than ever.

There exists within the Al-Saud dynasty some very interesting clans, groups and fiefdoms led by the sons of Ibn Saud and passed down to their sons. A major clan is the Sudairi clan, which denotes a group of brothers who are the offspring of one of Ibn Saud's wives. Faisal allied with the Sudairi clan in 1964 to overthrow the drunkard Saud, and gave their leaders, notably Fahd, plum posts in the governments. However, the only monarch from the Sudairi line has been Fahd.

Abdullah is not a Sudairi and has been outside of their game, cultivating loyalty pre-2005 within the National Guard, a paramilitary unit made up of Bedouin tribes and with fellow non-Sudairi brothers, notably Faisal's 3 sons.

First Generation



The Crown Prince is Sultan, also a Sudairi, and aged 82. His personal fiefdom since 1962 (when Faisal seized power from his brother before overthrowing him in 1964) is Defense. Although he is extremely corrupt (by his own admission) and reportedly conservative with some anti-American leanings, he has spent most of the last year abroad in Morocco getting treatment for cancer and returned to Riyadh with great fanfare a few months ago. His cancer is bad, rumours say, so he won't last long - if he can even outlast Abdullah.

-his first son, Prince Bandar, is well-known to Americans because he was Ambassador in DC for 20 years, but has fallen in disfavour. He is quite rash and flamboyant
-his other son, Prince Khaled bin Sultan, is daddy's deputy as Defense Minister, and commander (on the ground!) of the Saudi military. Through his great courage and determination, he bravely fought the Iraqi invader and told Colin Powell what to do during the Gulf War and recently valiantly fought evil Yemeni terrorists who had killed great Saudi borderguards (that's the official version). He is a fat, big-time egomaniac (wrote a book on his Gulf War experience, lol).

The likely third-in-line is Prince Nayef, aged 77, is also a Sudairi and Interior Minister since 1975. He is a competent albeit conservative minister, but his base of support seems to be weak within the Al-Saud family these days.

-his son, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, is Deputy Interior Minister and was, in 2009, the victim of an attempted attack during which a terrorist stuck a bomb up his ass (really) and blew it up (killing himself and injuring the Prince).

Likely fourth is Prince Salman, a youth of only 74, also a Sudairi and key power-broker. He is Governor of Riyadh since 1962. He is usually known as a key arbiter in dynastic family feuds.

-his son, Prince Sultan, was the first Saudi astronaut in space, and his picture proudly features in the Aviation Museum in Riyadh.

Prince Mishal is head of a new thing, a 35-man 'Allegiance Commission' composed of Ibn Saud's sons and grandsons (where the Sudairis have little weight) and will choose the Crown Prince once Sultan is king (unless Sultan destroys the thing, which isn't that unlikely). He is very wealthy in real-estate, but that is cover-up for the fact that he's insane and crazy, thus paid to shut up. Unlikely contender.

Prince Talal, aged 77, is a big-time liberal reformist supporting civil rights/constitutional monarchy, so he's not in contention. His son, Walid, is extremely wealthy and owns the Kingdom Group.

Prince Muqrin, aged 64, is head of intelligence and is a long-shot contender.

Other remaining sons are nutjobs, recluse, in disfavour or mentally insane.

Second Generation

Faisal's sons - non-Sudairi and allies of Abdullah:

Prince Saud, aged 70, is Foreign Minister since 1975, and is a very able and competent diplomat and speaks 7 languages. Health concerns may hinder his chances for the throne.

Prince Turki, aged 65, is head of intelligence of some sort and former ambassador to UK/Ireland and later to the US. Seems moderate, but not well-known enough and lacks a base of support.

Prince Khaled, aged 69, is Governor of Makkah (which includes Jeddah) since 2007 and is thus in Abdullah's good circle

Prince Mohammed bin Fahd, aged 59, is Governor of the oil-rich Eastern Province since 1985 and is King Fahd's main son.

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Cities, Lifestyle, Culture and randomness

[Silent Hunter]

A very interesting idea! Well done!

[Hash]

First part of politics section posted, focusing on the first generation, Ibn Saud's sons. I'll post stuff on the second generation guys shortly and some basic information on main political ideas - and even a look at "electoral" geography!

[??????????]

Can we have a history of women's suffrage in Saudi Arabia?

[Free Palestine]

Can we have a history of women's suffrage in Saudi Arabia?

[Antonio the Sixth]

Sorry, Hash. It's certainly very interesting but as of now I don't have the courage to read it all.

[Hash]

Can we have a history of women's suffrage in Saudi Arabia?

Are you trying to be arrogant, a jerk or a smartass?

[Cubby]

A very interesting idea! Well done!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Hash are Saudi Arabia's boundaries with Yemen and Oman ever going to be officially defined? On most maps they are unclear or say "border undefined". This has to be one of the last areas on Earth where that is the case (at least on land, on the oceans it gets more complicated).

I'm guessing the reason is at least in part due to the Empty Quarter being a harsh desert, but that didn't stop anywhere in the Sahara from being mapped.

[Јas]

Kudos Hash

[Gustaf]

Did someone read The Economist a while back? (I recognize the family tree)

Interesting, anyway, although I'm still waiting for the myth-busting.

[Hash]

I thought about continuing this. Any interest from anybody in me completing this thing, and if so, what are some things that you'd like me to address?

[Silent Hunter]

A very interesting idea! Well done!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Hash are Saudi Arabia's boundaries with Yemen and Oman ever going to be officially defined? On most maps they are unclear or say "border undefined". This has to be one of the last areas on Earth where that is the case (at least on land, on the oceans it gets more complicated).

I'm guessing the reason is at least in part due to the Empty Quarter being a harsh desert, but that didn't stop anywhere in the Sahara from being mapped.

Isn't that area largely sand dunes or am I mistaken? Because you'd have problems with the border markings getting buried all the time if it was.

[Silent Hunter]

I thought about continuing this. Any interest from anybody in me completing this thing, and if so, what are some things that you'd like me to address?

Sure, I'd be interested.

Could you cover the Saudi armed forces?I know Britain has certainly sold them some stuff, but they've also got Chinese MRBMs.

[Iosif]

That's missing Mohammed, Abdel Aziz's second born son. He gave up his right to the throne as part of the deal that saw Faisal take over from Saud.

He also had his daughter beheaded for sleeping with a Lebanese man. He made her lover watch before he lost his head as well.