Of Royal Fathers and Royal Sons, of Entitlements and Arab Meritocracy……..
“At least one small group of special forces has been wiped out by rebel units, and Saudi officials have released the names of nine missing soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel. Online reports indicate that some of the missing have been found in Yemeni territory, a contentious issue because King Abdullah has said no soldiers will cross the border. As defense minister since 1962, Sultan likely is particularly concerned about the Yemeni tension; his son Prince Khalid, the assistant minister of defense, has taken a lead role in the current crisis. Observers have noted that when King Abdullah convened the supreme economic council last month, the roles of chairman and vice chairman, previously held by Abdullah and Sultan, were transferred to foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal (a close ally of Abdullah) and Nayef's son, Prince Muhammad bin Nayef, rather than to a son of Sultan……..….”
These people have parts of the government allotted among the various brothers and their branches as personal fiefdoms. Prince Sultan is Minister of defense (among other things and I won’t mention the Inspector general and Danny Kaye) and his Khalid son is the second man, while another son is head of National Security (that would be Prince Bandar, adviser to Bush Jr and of the famous BAES $ 2 billion
I am almost certain these princes were all the best and most qualified people in the whole vast country for their jobs. But it is not unusual: this is what they call meritocracy among the ruling Arab oligarchies (and their retainers).
Cheers and Happy Holidays
mhg
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