JOSEPH A. KECHICHIAN, Succession in Saudi Arabia (New York: Palgrave, 2001). Pp. 297. - Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • In any monarchy, court gossip is the coin of the realm. Every observer of Saudi Arabia has his or her own theories of who is up and who is down, who is joining with whom and who has betrayed former allies, and who is with America and who is against America among the princes of the al-Saud. Like most gossip, most court gossip is wrong. The safe rule regarding the family politics of the al-Saud is that those who know do not talk, and those who talk do not know. Joseph Kechichian has therefore tackled the hardest question there is in the analysis of Saudi Arabian politics, and does as good a job as any outsider can hope to do. While those who talk usually do not know, Kechichian has talked to some who do know, including many members of the ruling family. His conclusions about future successions in Saudi Arabia, of necessity are speculative, but they are well informed.

published proceedings

  • International Journal Middle East Studies

author list (cited authors)

  • GAUSE, F. G.

citation count

  • 0

complete list of authors

  • GAUSE, F GREGORY

publication date

  • January 2003