INDEPTH: SAUDI ARABIA
The Sauds: too many princes
Justin Thompson, CBC News Online | Updated December 9, 2004
Saudi Arabia is a kingdom of riches and opulence - for its rulers, at least - built upon a foundation of oil. For decades, Saudi wells and pipelines have fed the world's ever-growing thirst for petroleum; and its rulers have reaped untold wealth.
Today, Saudi Arabia is the world's largest producer of oil, accounting for 12 per cent of global production. It controls one quarter of the world's known oil reserves.
It's also the biggest exporter, and sent more than 320 million tonnes abroad in 2000 - the lion's share to the United States, its biggest customer.
Holding the keys to the kingdom is the Saud family. When patriarch Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman Al-Saud founded his kingdom on the Arabian Peninsula in 1932, he established a line of succession that has allowed his family to govern - and live off the spoils - ever since.
In an article for Atlantic Monthly magazine, Robert Baer, a 21-year CIA veteran in the Middle East, estimated the Saud family consists of some 30,000 members - a number he says will double within the next generation.
And privilege comes with membership: no need to work (there's a monthly stipend for the 3,000 to 4,000 princes, amounting to tens of thousands of dollars each); unlimited flights aboard Saudi Arabian Airlines; and first dibs (not to mention low prices) on land expropriated by the kingdom.
To many in Saudi Arabia, the perquisites are not only excessive, they are evidence of a corrupt royal family in bed with U.S. politicians and business interests who have bankrolled much of the affluence.
Groups like the Taliban and al-Qaeda - which are highly critical of and violently opposed to western influence within the country - have spoken out against King Fahd, who is known for having friendly relations with the U.S.
Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud
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A ray of hope for these groups could come in the form of Crown Prince Abdullah, next in line to become king. Long considered a reformer and threat to the established system, Abdullah has said that, as king, he would attempt to reduce Saudi reliance on U.S. money and put more diplomatic and economic distance between the two countries.
Another change, which he has already attempted to enact, is a reduction in the amount of money given to the many Saud princes. After King Fahd had a stroke in 1995, Abdullah made attempts to sway the weakened King into curtailing the stipends given to the princes.
And while the flow of money continues its downward flow through successive generations of Saud princes, there are growing signs that Saudi Arabia's economy may no longer be able to sustain the tradition.
Experts say Saudi Arabia's extremely high birth rate (37.5 births per thousand compared with 11.09 births per thousand in Canada, according to the CIA Factbook) along with the high-priced lifestyles of the fast-growing royal family, may prove to be more burden than the country can afford.
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| SAUD FAMILY TREE: |
1932
Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman Al-Saud (d. 1953) founds Saudi Arabia on the Arabian Peninsula and proclaims himself king. Abdul Aziz had more than 30 sons.
1953
Saud bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud (d. 1969) becomes king after the death of his father. His achievements include paving Saudi Arabia's roads and establishing its first university. Saud was deposed in a family coup.
1964
Faisal bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud (d. 1975) succeeds his brother Saud. He improves Saudi agricultural practices and makes educational improvements a pet project. He is murdered in March 1975 by Faisal bin Musaid, who was reputed to be acting on behalf of the king's brother, Fahd.
1975
Khaled bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud (d. 1982) succeeds brother Faisal as king in 1975. Khaled's rule is characterized in part by his sympathy for the Palestinian cause.
1982
Fahd bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud becomes king after the death of his brother, Khaled. Known as a ruthless power-monger with strong ties to the U.S. In 1990 he invited the U.S. to base its military on Saudi soil for an attack on Iraqi forces. He had a stroke in 1995 and his activities have been considerably impaired since. His brother, Crown Prince Abdullah, has been de facto leader ever since.
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