Saudi Arabia

Oil=Power

Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia was named the new crown prince and Deputy Prime Minister today. Prince Nayef takes over this position after Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz passed away from colon cancer roughly a week ago. Prince Nayef was appointed by the Allegiance Council, which was set up in 2006 to help ease the process of succession in Saudi Arabia. Prince Nayef has been the Interior Minister for Saudi Arabia since 1975. Prince Nayef is largely credited for ending al Qaeda attacks in the kingdom.

With the passing of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, Prince Nayef’s appointment raises some questions in the United States, primarily over the future of oil. At this time it is unknown how much influence Nayef will have over Saudi Arabia’s chief moneymaking export, petroleum. Nayef has been known to be a more conservative person than the former Crown Prince Sultan, which means he may try to take a less involved approach when dealing with diplomatic relations with the western world. Of course, since he has previously been the Interior Minister, he may continue to try to stick with what he knows before diving into any major political decisions concerning the state’s oil supply. The chance that the United States continues to be an ally with Saudi Arabia and its oil seems fairly high when looking at the common ground shared between the two concerning al Qaeda.

Realist

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/10/28/174082.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/28/us-saudi-idUSTRE79Q79A20111028

October 28, 2011 at 03:06 am