NO ONE is quite sure what to call it. The arrest of scores of people in Saudi Arabia on November 4th has been variously dubbed a coup, a counter-coup and a purge. Those detained range from billionaire businessmen, such as Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, to a contender for the crown, Prince Mutaib bin Abdullah. “Saudis do not know what happened,” says a professional in Riyadh, the capital. “It is a shock.” One thing, at least, is clear: power is now concentrated in the hands of the young crown prince, Muhammad bin Salman, who orchestrated the blitz in the name of his frail 81-year-old father, King Salman.
For decades, Saudi kings tried to forge consensus within the sprawling royal family. Change was incremental and power was balanced delicately, particularly among members of the so-called Sudairi Seven branch—the sons of King Abdel-Aziz, the founder of the state, by his favourite wife, Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi (see family tree). One Sudairi, Prince Sultan, served as defence minister...Continue reading
Source: Middle East and Africa http://ift.tt/2m65UnD
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