Word: khalid
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Saudi specialists say that Fahd's first task will be to shore up his credentials with the traditionalists at home. Despite personality differences between Khalid and Fahd, the two men had complemented each other. Khalid remained close to the nomadic tribes that roam the country's desert wastelands, and his piety and sincerity appealed to devout practitioners of Wahhabism, the orthodox branch of Islam unique to Saudi Arabia. Fahd, on the other hand, gained international respect for his intelligence, flexibility and informed grasp of foreign affairs. But he had much weaker ties to the tribes, and his playboy...
Although Fahd may ultimately prove more forceful than Khalid in espousing policies favorable to the U.S., Saudi specialists caution that he will have to act slowly so as not to offend traditionalists at home and Arab opinion abroad at a time when U.S. military and political support to Israel is being blamed for the latest Arab humiliation in Lebanon. Says Iseman: "This is not a time for the U.S. to expect bold new initiatives from him." Behind the scenes, Fahd has already proved to be a skillful diplomat. After the Israelis launched their drive into Lebanon, Fahd quickly flew...
...with Egypt, from whom the Saudis have been estranged since Egypt and Israel signed their peace treaty in 1979. In a public gesture that confirmed his declared intention to improve ties with his Arab neighbors, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak flew to Riyadh last week to offer his condolences on Khalid's death. He and Fahd, who remained in discreet contact after 1979, embraced warmly at Riyadh airport...
...they do have a large Shi'ite Muslim minority, ethnic kin to Iranian Shi'ites, who have traditionally been disadvantaged. After the fall of the Shah of Iran in 1979 and the startling uprising by religious extremists at the Grand Mosque in Mecca later that year, King Khalid acted to improve contacts with disaffected elements in his country...
...family government that operates by consensus. The kingdom has no constitution, so royal succession is decided by a council of elders within some ruling family. In 1975, when King Faisal was assassinated, the some times hot-headed Prince Mohammed was passed over by mutual agreement in favor of Khalid. But the ruling hierarchy has usually recognized as King the oldest survivor of the 45 legitimate sons born to the various wives of Ibn Saud. The princes last week demonstrated family solidarity again by naming Crown Prince Fahd to in the late King Khalid, and Abdullah, who had been second...