Thursday, March 27, 2014

Prince Muqrin as second crown prince of Saudi Arabia

The appointment of Prince Muqrin as deputy Crown Prince is significant. Like `Abdullah, he does not have brothers (only half brothers), not belonging to a faction (like the Sudayris) he has formed an alliance (along with Faysal's sons) with `Abdullah in the face of the Sudayris.  What is significant in the royal decree is that it stresses that this decree can't be changed or amended at all, as if the King expects major changes when Salman takes over (if he lives that long (a matter of weeks--in fact I have shovels on the ready for both, `Abdullah and Salman).  But Saudi newspapers are already writing about the new deputy Crown Prince: they say that he is so modest that he one was seen stopping at a red light. Is that not a behavior fitting a Saudi King?