The Washington Times offers up this commentary by John Bradley, former editor at Arab News, on the question of succession in Saudi Arabia. The issue is topical in that there are rumors swirling around about the state of Crown Prince Sultan’s health, with Saudi opposition groups (and the unreliable Debka File blog) reporting that he has died or is terminally ill with cancer.
I find that Bradley has a chip on his shoulder about Saudi Arabia; since losing his job at Arab News, he’s changed his tune about the country, accentuating the negative and promoting the inflammatory. I find that a red flag, warning that he may not be a reliable reporter. He doesn’t bother to note, for instance, that the Institute for Gulf Affairs is run by Saudi dissidents who rarely find anything admirable in the KSA, nor that the Washington Institute for Near East Policy is a pro-Israel think-tank. Perhaps this is either understood or just doesn’t matter for the paper’s readers.
I’m bemused, too, with the way in which Bradley seeks to create a sense of drama by putting King Abdullah ‘and his brothers’ against the Sudairi brothers. The King has no full brothers: he’s as closely related to the Sudairis as any other half-brother.
Still, if one’s keeping up with the KSA, the article should be read…
Who’s next as Saudi king
John BradleyPresident Bush visits Saudi Arabia this week to commemorate 75 years of relations between the United States and world’s biggest oil supplier.
High oil prices are also on Mr. Bush’s agenda when he meets with Saudi King Abdullah and other top officials.
Within the desert kingdom itself, a recent weeklong and unscheduled stay in a Geneva hospital by Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz has refocused attention on the broader issue of succession to the Saudi throne.
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08:00,
since losing his job at Arab News, he’s changed his tune about the country, accentuating the negative and promoting the inflammatory. I find that a red flag, warning that he may not be a reliable reporter.
What do you mean by “reliable”, John?
08:32,
I mean that when there are axes being ground in the background, it’s harder to get through the noise barrier. You’re always wondering whether you heard something correctly or if the meaning’s getting blurred or changed due to the noise.
That may very well be unfair on my part, but noisy backgrounds just don’t lend themselves to clear communications.
And when a position on a particular subject changes radically after leaving a job, one has to wonder if there was a true change of mind on it or whether intellectually dishonest reporting was going on before or is it going on now. Murky communications is the result.
16:03,
ALL those old dudes seem to be doing well even if they are suffering from deadly diseases. Anyways…it is like we are waiting who is going die first man…
If you want to know what the general public feels about each one I will let you know.
King Abdullah: Grandfather with wisdom
Crown Prince Sultant: Santa with a jolly old soul
Prince Salman: In pursuit of his own happiness
Prince Naif: Pharaoh “The Morning and the Evening Star” Don’t mess with him he could have you knocked off easily….
Mmm what else or who else “Who is Prince Migrin?” Heard of him he was supposed to help my children get reimbursed for their food poisioning supposedly on some level but I am still waiting…. Peace