King Salman - "family sheriff" and the father of the astronaut
After the death of Abdullah, one of the late King’s younger brothers, Salman, sat on the throne of Saudi Arabia. It is believed that Salman will not lead a different policy, change the principles of management adopted earlier by the royal family. CNN journalist Jethro Mullen spoke about some little-known details from the biography of the new ruler.
On the CNN An article by Jethro Mullen about the new king of Saudi Arabia, the late brother of the late Abdullah, seventy-nine-year-old Salman, was published. This man stood at the helm of the Saudi kingdom, one of the largest oil exporters in the world.
According to Becky Anderson from Abu Dhabi, Mr. Salman is committed to the ideals of his family. He is also considered a "pragmatic and cautious reformer - the same as his predecessor."
As a prince, for many years Salman worked for the good of his country as minister of defense and deputy prime minister of Saudi Arabia (a state of strategic importance as a US ally in the Middle East). Like Abdullah, Salman is one of the sons of the founder of Saudi Arabia, King Abdul Aziz.
Further, the author reports some interesting facts from the biography of Salman.
This person is an experienced leader. He gained management experience as a metropolitan farm (for almost 50 years he was governor of Riyadh province). These half a century have brought significant changes.
Bruce Riedel, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute Center, giving a CNN comment, noted that Salman became governor in 1963. At that time, Riyadh had 200.000 inhabitants, and today more than seven million people live in the city. According to the expert, Salman proved to be an effective ruler: they spoke of him as a good leader. In addition, there is no corruption in Riyadh.
“He should have been combining ... the features of a reformer, a judge, in some cases even a jury, and dealing with dissent, as well as solving economic issues,” said Robert Jordan, a former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia. According to Jordan, Salman is “well prepared” for the new task.
Many of the Saudi royals live in Riyadh, so Salman acquired other important experiences.
“Since most princes and princesses live in Riyadh,” said Mr. Riedel, who worked for the CIA 30 years, told CNN, “he was a kind of" family sheriff. " Any conflicts in the family were resolved calmly and quietly. (In the ruling family of almost seven thousand princes, let us add. Therefore, special diplomacy is needed here.)
Since Salman became the official heir (2012 year), on his shoulders lay the obligation to make almost all foreign trips.
This person is unlikely to “rock the boat,” the journalist writes.
Salman sat on the throne at the behest of Abdullah. “I think that we will see a continuation, we will see a very similar policy and development,” said James Zogby, President of the Arab-American Institute. - The Kingdom is undergoing modernization; it is changing, reforming, and the old course will continue for several more decades. ”
Separate paragraphs of the article are devoted to the health of the new king.
Yes, Salman is from Abdullah's younger brothers, but he is already 79 years old. “You can’t call him“ especially young ”, the journalist notes, citing further“ unconfirmed reports ”about the King’s“ various problems ”with health. At the same time, the author writes that in Saudi Arabia the press is tightly controlled by the state, and one cannot be sure that someone really knows something about Salman’s health.
According to the aforementioned Mr. Riedel, earlier Salman suffered a stroke. And Simon Henderson of the Washington Institute for Middle Eastern Policy says that the brain of the new king is prone to senile insanity.
There is also some information about Alzheimer's disease.
But all this may not be true, experts say.
There is also a heir to the throne, who is “waiting in the wings.”
The first thing Salman did after taking the throne was that he appointed his younger brother, Prince Mukrin, as the new crown prince. Analysts believe that such an appointment is an attempt to ensure stability in the future.
Mukrin is "just" 69 years old, so he is "relatively young" in Saudi Arabia. Previously, he worked as head of intelligence of the kingdom. This person is familiar with the leaders of different countries.
True, there is one "but." In the veins of the mother of Prince Mukrin does not flow royal blood, which is a "stumbling block" for some of the population of Saudi Arabia.
The journalist returns to Salman.
Among the king's sons is an astronaut and a fighter pilot, the author writes.
Astronaut - Prince Sultan. In 1980, he was the first Muslim astronaut. Now Sultan heads the Saudi Arabian Tourist Board.
Prince Khaled was among those pilots that carried out the first air strikes against the positions of the "Islamic state" in Syria in 2014.
The other sons of Salman also have a prominent position and have distinguished themselves by something.
Finally, there is information that Salman knew the Koran by heart at the age of 10.
But Milton Verst, columnist for Foreign Affairs magazine, tells about Salman (quoted by "Vedomosti"):
It should also be added that the other day American President Obama negotiated with Salman. He writes about it "Voice of America" with reference to Reuters.
The meeting of Barack Obama with Salman bin Abdulaziz was held in Riyadh. Obama arrived in Saudi Arabia in order on behalf of the United States to express condolences on the death of King Abdullah. This personal trip analysts call evidence of the importance of the alliance of Washington and Riyadh.
An unnamed employee of the US administration informed: government leaders discussed the situation in the Middle East, and also talked about the state of the oil market.
Obama did not arrive in Riyadh alone, but brought with him a whole representative delegation. The President was accompanied by State Secretary John Kerry, CIA Director John Brennan, and the head of the US Central Command, General Lloyd Austin. Former US secretaries of state James Baker and Condoleezza Rice and former advisers to US presidents for national security Brent Scowcroft and Stephen Hadley also flew to Saudi capital.
Barack Obama would like to lay the foundation for relations with the new king of Saudi Arabia. The American president even interrupted his visit to India to lead a delegation to Riyadh. This emphasizes the special importance of the Washington-Riyadh Alliance.
“The most interesting question for President Obama is whether King Salman’s and his entourage’s priorities differ from what King Abdullah followed,” said Simon Henderson, an expert on US-Saudi relations.
While there are no details on this topic, we add in conclusion. However, it is unlikely that 79-year-old Salman suddenly began to pursue a policy that was radically different from that of his predecessor on the throne. His great managerial experience tells us: everything in the kingdom will remain as before.
Probably, Obama is counting on certain actions by Saudi Arabia to change prices in the oil market in order to save the shale industry in the US, but the new king has not taken any steps here yet. Most likely, Riyadh will not advocate for a decrease in production volumes, so that a part of the oil-saturated market does not go to competitors. This has been discussed in Riyadh before, and there are no prerequisites for a change of strategy.
On the CNN An article by Jethro Mullen about the new king of Saudi Arabia, the late brother of the late Abdullah, seventy-nine-year-old Salman, was published. This man stood at the helm of the Saudi kingdom, one of the largest oil exporters in the world.
According to Becky Anderson from Abu Dhabi, Mr. Salman is committed to the ideals of his family. He is also considered a "pragmatic and cautious reformer - the same as his predecessor."
As a prince, for many years Salman worked for the good of his country as minister of defense and deputy prime minister of Saudi Arabia (a state of strategic importance as a US ally in the Middle East). Like Abdullah, Salman is one of the sons of the founder of Saudi Arabia, King Abdul Aziz.
Further, the author reports some interesting facts from the biography of Salman.
This person is an experienced leader. He gained management experience as a metropolitan farm (for almost 50 years he was governor of Riyadh province). These half a century have brought significant changes.
Bruce Riedel, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute Center, giving a CNN comment, noted that Salman became governor in 1963. At that time, Riyadh had 200.000 inhabitants, and today more than seven million people live in the city. According to the expert, Salman proved to be an effective ruler: they spoke of him as a good leader. In addition, there is no corruption in Riyadh.
“He should have been combining ... the features of a reformer, a judge, in some cases even a jury, and dealing with dissent, as well as solving economic issues,” said Robert Jordan, a former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia. According to Jordan, Salman is “well prepared” for the new task.
Many of the Saudi royals live in Riyadh, so Salman acquired other important experiences.
“Since most princes and princesses live in Riyadh,” said Mr. Riedel, who worked for the CIA 30 years, told CNN, “he was a kind of" family sheriff. " Any conflicts in the family were resolved calmly and quietly. (In the ruling family of almost seven thousand princes, let us add. Therefore, special diplomacy is needed here.)
Since Salman became the official heir (2012 year), on his shoulders lay the obligation to make almost all foreign trips.
This person is unlikely to “rock the boat,” the journalist writes.
Salman sat on the throne at the behest of Abdullah. “I think that we will see a continuation, we will see a very similar policy and development,” said James Zogby, President of the Arab-American Institute. - The Kingdom is undergoing modernization; it is changing, reforming, and the old course will continue for several more decades. ”
Separate paragraphs of the article are devoted to the health of the new king.
Yes, Salman is from Abdullah's younger brothers, but he is already 79 years old. “You can’t call him“ especially young ”, the journalist notes, citing further“ unconfirmed reports ”about the King’s“ various problems ”with health. At the same time, the author writes that in Saudi Arabia the press is tightly controlled by the state, and one cannot be sure that someone really knows something about Salman’s health.
According to the aforementioned Mr. Riedel, earlier Salman suffered a stroke. And Simon Henderson of the Washington Institute for Middle Eastern Policy says that the brain of the new king is prone to senile insanity.
There is also some information about Alzheimer's disease.
But all this may not be true, experts say.
There is also a heir to the throne, who is “waiting in the wings.”
The first thing Salman did after taking the throne was that he appointed his younger brother, Prince Mukrin, as the new crown prince. Analysts believe that such an appointment is an attempt to ensure stability in the future.
Mukrin is "just" 69 years old, so he is "relatively young" in Saudi Arabia. Previously, he worked as head of intelligence of the kingdom. This person is familiar with the leaders of different countries.
True, there is one "but." In the veins of the mother of Prince Mukrin does not flow royal blood, which is a "stumbling block" for some of the population of Saudi Arabia.
The journalist returns to Salman.
Among the king's sons is an astronaut and a fighter pilot, the author writes.
Astronaut - Prince Sultan. In 1980, he was the first Muslim astronaut. Now Sultan heads the Saudi Arabian Tourist Board.
Prince Khaled was among those pilots that carried out the first air strikes against the positions of the "Islamic state" in Syria in 2014.
The other sons of Salman also have a prominent position and have distinguished themselves by something.
Finally, there is information that Salman knew the Koran by heart at the age of 10.
But Milton Verst, columnist for Foreign Affairs magazine, tells about Salman (quoted by "Vedomosti"):
“In a conversation almost 20 years ago with the author of“ Foreign Affairs ”, Salman refuted the conventional statement that the royal family was separated from ordinary Saudis. According to him, the princes receive information about the state of affairs in the country not from the special services, but from ordinary citizens. Salman himself held audiences twice a day for all citizens who would like to share their problems with him. He invited to attend such a meeting and Versta. The audience was held after the noon of namaz in a huge, richly decorated room. “Dozens of men in bathrobes, many with sun-drenched Bedouin faces, sat in armchairs placed along the walls and stood respectfully when Salman appeared. Each in turn approached the throne, shook hands with the prince, gave him his appeal and within a few seconds added something in words. All these were private questions - about how to put an elderly mother in a hospital or to release a criminal son from prison. The prince listened, then handed the petition to his assistant and instructed him in a whisper. It was a touching scene of transferring the traditions of life in the desert in a modern way; that the people at the same time think about the royal family is another question, ”recalls Virst.”
It should also be added that the other day American President Obama negotiated with Salman. He writes about it "Voice of America" with reference to Reuters.
The meeting of Barack Obama with Salman bin Abdulaziz was held in Riyadh. Obama arrived in Saudi Arabia in order on behalf of the United States to express condolences on the death of King Abdullah. This personal trip analysts call evidence of the importance of the alliance of Washington and Riyadh.
An unnamed employee of the US administration informed: government leaders discussed the situation in the Middle East, and also talked about the state of the oil market.
Obama did not arrive in Riyadh alone, but brought with him a whole representative delegation. The President was accompanied by State Secretary John Kerry, CIA Director John Brennan, and the head of the US Central Command, General Lloyd Austin. Former US secretaries of state James Baker and Condoleezza Rice and former advisers to US presidents for national security Brent Scowcroft and Stephen Hadley also flew to Saudi capital.
Barack Obama would like to lay the foundation for relations with the new king of Saudi Arabia. The American president even interrupted his visit to India to lead a delegation to Riyadh. This emphasizes the special importance of the Washington-Riyadh Alliance.
“The most interesting question for President Obama is whether King Salman’s and his entourage’s priorities differ from what King Abdullah followed,” said Simon Henderson, an expert on US-Saudi relations.
While there are no details on this topic, we add in conclusion. However, it is unlikely that 79-year-old Salman suddenly began to pursue a policy that was radically different from that of his predecessor on the throne. His great managerial experience tells us: everything in the kingdom will remain as before.
Probably, Obama is counting on certain actions by Saudi Arabia to change prices in the oil market in order to save the shale industry in the US, but the new king has not taken any steps here yet. Most likely, Riyadh will not advocate for a decrease in production volumes, so that a part of the oil-saturated market does not go to competitors. This has been discussed in Riyadh before, and there are no prerequisites for a change of strategy.
Observed and translated by Oleg Chuvakin
- especially for topwar.ru
- especially for topwar.ru
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