Word: saud
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...this Reagan administration "triumph." Although American foreign policymakers seem intent on flaunting the country's military power, they appear intent on flouting the principles of power in international relations. It would not seem to behoove those who pride themselves on their realpolitik to prop up the Royal House of Saud. Or to give Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin further incentive to act intransigently. Or, as a matter of principle, to arrange for others to defend American interests, to trust the kindness of undemocratic regimes while exerting pressure on one of America's few genuine friends...
Haig also received a less than enthusiastic response from Saudi leaders. In Riyadh, Haig met for 3½ hours with Crown Prince Fahd, Minister of Defense Prince Sultan and Foreign Minister Prince Saud; he also spent an hour with King Khalid. The Saudis were clearly pleased by the Administration's willingness to sell them the five AWACS, but they politely disagreed with Haig's contention after the talks that a "convergence of views" had occurred. Declared Foreign Minister Saud: "The kingdom of Saudi Arabia regards Israel as the principal cause of instability and insecurity in the region...
...avalanche of petrodollars is confronting the Saudis with a profound dilemma: how to preserve the country's Islamic identity and conservative values in the face of a headlong, frequently pell-mell rush of development. The men who face this problem are the members of the royal House of Saud, which has ruled the kingdom of Saudi Arabia since 1932 and which, perhaps like no other dynasty in the world, has turned the running of a country into a family business. All key decision-making positions are held by the royal family which consists of an estimated 5000 princes...
...most remain optimistic that the House of Saud will see the need and adapt in time, even encouraging the development of more broadly based political institutions. If there is anything to mourn, it may be the passing of the old Saudi Arabia. Already there is a detectable sense of regret for a lost way of life that can never be recaptured. "If you go to the tribes now," says a Saudi technocrat, "you will find gentlemen Bedouins, like gentlemen farmers, who hire a caretaker for the sheep while they enjoy the luxuries of their new villa." But then he notes...
...current trouble is particularly frustrating and ominous. This marks the first time in the long and variegated history of modern Middle Eastern warfare that the U.S. has neither diplomatic relations with, nor political leverage on, either of the combatants. Commented Saudi Arabia's Foreign Affairs Minister, Prince Saud al Faisal: "The almost total absence of any U.S. sway with the parties directly involved in such a dangerous situation is sobering to say the least...