Word: saudi
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Forgive yourself if you didn't know that Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud spent six days in Washington last week. Apart from Beltway commuters who encountered his 50-car motorcade and a handful of Foggy Bottom specialists, few noticed that Saudi Arabia's virtual ruler had come and gone. The low-profile trip generated scarcely a headline, the way the cautious Saudis prefer it. But this was no ordinary visit. It was the third leg of a monthlong coming-out tour of major world capitals to deliver an important if understated message: after three years of uncertainty...
Abdullah is best known at home as a prince of the desert, who has a good handshake, speaks in velvety tones and can be aloof one minute and chuckling the next. Closely resembling the famed founder of modern Saudi Arabia, King Abdul Aziz (generally known as Ibn Saud), he is fond of camel racing and is tolerant toward human frailties. "He will forgive anything but lying," says an intimate. He has a reputation for eschewing the country's endemic corruption; almost alone in the royal household, he forbids his sons to use their connections to profit in business. A devout...
...Abdullah's reign endures--and he appears to enjoy excellent health, thanks to sensible eating and regular laps across his palace pool--he may be able to defuse the growing fundamentalist challenge to the Saudi monarchy, in part by expanding political power beyond the royal family. He is a strong supporter of the appointed Consultative Council, created by Fahd in 1993 to introduce limited public debate. In line with his distaste for corruption, Abdullah has initiated fiscal reforms designed to end the dubious dealings and royal patronage that have been a prime focus of the growing popular discontent. Besides cutting...
...fighters that has relied on American advisers since 1975. Although the Prince had initial reservations in 1990 when the Bush Administration asked to deploy 500,000 troops in the kingdom during the Gulf War, he shows no inclination to kick out the 5,000 who still remain on Saudi soil...
...meetings with world leaders, Abdullah has been signaling that he intends for his country to play a more assertive foreign role. Saudi Arabia wants to interest itself in the frequently faltering Arab-Israeli peace talks--and not necessarily to the delight of American policymakers. In drafting a joint communique two weeks ago, Abdullah insisted on making a symbolic point about Arab rights in Jerusalem...