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Hassan Ammar / AP
Saudi crown prince and interior minister Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz al-Saud drinks coffee and welcomes Gulf Arab leaders taking part in the Gulf Cooperation Council summit on May 14.
Updated at 8:10 a.m. ET: RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, the hardline interior minister who spearheaded Saudi Arabia's fierce crackdown crushing al-Qaida's branch in the country after the 9/11 attacks in the United States and then rose to become next in line to the throne, has died. He was in his late 70s.
Nayef, interior minister since 1970, was the heir to Saudi King Abdullah and was appointed crown prince in October after the death of his elder brother and predecessor in the role, Crown Prince Sultan.
He had been in Switzerland since May for medical tests. No details were released about his illness.
Nayef had a reputation as a steely conservative who opposed King Abdullah's reforms and developed a formidable security infrastructure that crushed al-Qaida but also locked up some political activists.
Jane Kinninmont, London-based Chatham House's senior research fellow in the Middle East and North Africa program, told msnbc.com that a pillar of the old authoritarian order in the Middle East would had gone with Nayef's death, adding:
"Prince Nayef was the most powerful conservative force in Saudi Arabia, running the interior ministry, the internal security forces and the religious police. He was opposed to women voting or driving. The next in line to the throne, Prince Salman, is seen as a more liberal figure, and is a bit younger, but it's all relative -- he's in his 60s rather than late 70s. Don't expect any radical change coming from the new crown prince -- more a subtle shift of tone."
The big question is who will be the third in line to the throne -- do they keep passing this role around the increasingly elderly sons of the first Saudi king, or choose someone from the younger generation? The family is huge and full of rivalries and they are likely to be increasingly preoccupied with their internal family politics -- which could prove a distraction from the need to reform and adapt to accommodate their own population's needs.
Funeral prayers for the prince would be held after sunset on Sunday, the royal court said in a statement. Burial traditionally follows immediately after prayers.
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Al Arabiya television reported that the prayers would be held in a mosque in the holy city of Mecca.
New heir?
Nayef's death means the 89-year-old King Abdullah must nominate a new heir for the second time in nine months. Defense Minister Prince Salman, 76, seen as most likely to continue King Abdullah's cautious reforms, has long been viewed as the next most senior prince in the kingdom's succession.
Nayef, King Abdullah and Salman are among the nearly 40 sons of Saudi Arabia's founder, Abdulaziz bin Saud, who established the kingdom in 1935.
Salman was made defense minister in November and had served as Riyadh governor for five decades.
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The New York Times called the prince "hard-line but pragmatic" in a profile that ran in October.
The article went on to quote an October 2009 American diplomatic cable that was obtained via WikiLeaks:
"Nayef is widely seen as a hard-line conservative who at best is lukewarm to King Abdullah’s reform initiatives ... However, it would be more accurate to describe him as a conservative pragmatist convinced that security and stability are imperative to preserve Al Saud rule and ensure prosperity for Saudi citizens."
Msnbc.com's F. Brinley Bruton and Reuters contributed to this report.
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Folks, the reason for the Riots and Revolutions going on in the Middle East is due to High Unemployment, Poverty, Middle Class being wiped out, Financial Injustice and Oppression from their Government. The Financial Institutions get Bailed Outs for Major Mistakes, Mismanagement, and the Middle Class gets the Shaft. Sound Familiar? Don’t be surprised when it happens here.
For years this Country has been ran by by the Lobbyist, Special Interest, and the Self Righteous. It’s gotten to the point where the young people are fed up with the Greed and Corruption in our system. It has reached a Boiling Point.
May any change in Saudi Arabia come with increased liberties for women. Scary thought huh?
Wow, let me cry a river. Except not. Why are there still Kings?
Because there are still knaves.
Bow down to King Obama, bow to your superior--and he isn't in the U.S. Congress or the collective U.S. population. You are king, Obama, you grabbled the power and you have found that no one will stop you. Go ahead, declare the Congress void.
Mr. Ulyanov, at least Obama actually WON the election for President in 2008. His predecessor, GW Bush had low friends in high places (U.S. Supreme Court "Justices") who pretty much proclaimed Bush as President when Al Gore had the majority vote. Then in 2004, Bush stole the election with the help of Diebold. Bush made a huge mess of the economy, and Obama is taking the heat for it. Bush and Cheney took eight years to ruin the economy, and the Republicans (fascists) expect Obama to "fix" the economy within the years of a Presidential term, that is four or fewer. The Republicans long ago swore they would make sure Obama failed as a President even at the expense of the American economy and American people. Obama is being thwarted by people who would have fit in 1940s Germany just fine. The Republicans would like to kill off everyone benefitting from anything that came out of the New Deal, primarily Social Security. Once they have confiscated that fund, they will give it to their rich friends and leave a lot of elderly and disabled to homelessness and starvation. Yet, the Repugs see themselves as "compassionate conservatives." Compassionate to no one but their own club-the wealthy.
No, Bush just had a majority of justices on the SCOTUS who had the weird idea that Florida should go by its OWN LAWS rather than just have a Democratic-conducted recount only in the counties that Gore thought that he "should" have carried. And, for all of his flaws, he couldn't have been much worse than what we can see that a "President Gore" would've been like.
Obama's powers are mostly being killed off by his own hubris and incompetence. When you present yourself as a person of near-Messianic power, you set expectations ("hope and change") very high. When they don't work out very well, it has to be someone else's fault, apparently your predecessor's and the people that the other citizens elected to represent them in Congress, but never yourself. In the Obama version of Shakespeare, "The fault lies not in ourselves, my dear Horatio, but in our stars."
I wonder how many Chinese and Russian agents roam the net seeking to undermine gov'ts through comments stoking hatred and distrust to meet their goals?
That being said, I voted for Obama, but after he said he would not enforce the laws of Congress (immigration)...I will not vote for a president who is willingly derelict in his duties to uphold the law...all parts of it, not just the ones he likes. If you don't like it then propose a change to the law, oh you can't with the current Congress...well then you still have your duty Mr. President. You just lost an independent voter. You spit in the faces of all who come here legally, and all who are here now. Either this will be a failed policy, or you will have single handedly just caused a mass rush of millions of Mexicans (yes Mexicans, 98% of the rest try legally) trying to get their kids here. Maybe we should all vote on how our money is spent. Every election I see ballot measures to be voted on by the people of that state...how about we do that in a national election...there is a mandate:)
the guy would still be alive if he hadn't swallowed 4 lambs!!!
Just another subhuman sand @!$%# who thinks he was born better than everyone else. I can't help but smile every time something bad happens to a Monarchy. I would love to meet some form of royalty so I could completely disrespect them, cold day in Hell before I bow to another human being, I don't care what is on the line. The American President should NEVER bow or do anything that could be deemed as submissive to anyone especially these subhuman pieces of sand @!$%# @!$%#.
Wow, racist much?
For an article which focuses on the next most likely heir to the throne, and AGE, this is pretty sloppy reporting:
So which is it? 60s or 70s?!
Did you READ the f'ing article? That was a QUOTE from someone else about someone other than the Prince that DIED!!!!!
GET IT!!!!!! They are talking about 2(two) different people in that part of the article. Nayef is the ONE that DIED!!
The next time you decide to call someone out for stupid, look in the mirror first and then ask where the education system went wrong with YOU!!!!!!!
The real point is they're ALL TOO OLD to be starting a potential lifetime tenure. Most of their "reigns" will probably be a long series of health crises, and in any event, most older people are too set in their thinking to be given a position of absolute autocracy, which is really never a good idea in any event. There are no underlying democratic institutions, so this isn't like Britain under Victoria, where her living to a very advanced age ensured that the Crown would be totally removed from day-to-day affairs of governance and actually quite arguably aided materially the process of democratization.
Hey TiredVoter moron, can you read? Apparently not. The quote, from "someone else," directly mentions PRINCE SALMAN and says that he is youngerp; "in his 60s" to be exact.
The second quote is about PRINCE SALMAN and says that he is 76.
Unless there is more than one Prince Salman then there is a discrepancy about how old he is. "The one that died" is not at issue. Learn how to read before thinking you've achieved a "Gotcha!" moment on Newsvine.
Read it again Adam..... and try to COMPREHEND what was said!!
Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz al-Saud is the one that DIED
The next in line to the throne, Prince Salman, is seen as a more liberal figure, and is a bit younger, but it's all relative -- he's in his 60s rather than late 70s. Is the one that they were talking about his age. Now do you get it sh&thead??
Who's the MORON now jackwagon!!!
stupidvoter, you are probably the biggest idiot to ever post on newsvine.
The one that DIED is not at issue. Prince Salman is at issue. Prince Salman is described by the quoted expert to be in his 60s. Later in the article this same Prince Salman is said to be 76 years old. So which is it you stupid idiot?! Take a remedial reading course and try to graduate from High School before you are 30 years old you dumbass.
Got served and could not handle it I see, Then when we don't get the response we want you resort to name calling. See I know your ilk. I don't need to say anymore. Pathetic
You introduced yourself to me in post 35.1 as an abusive punk. Functionally illiterate too. Well, now you've gotten a taste of your own medicine in return and you don't like it. Surprise, surprise. Another little b!tch who can dish it out but can't take it. Punks like you are a dime a dozen except you take it to a whole new level by adding in dumbass hubris, thinking that you are highly intelligent when in reality you are incredibly base and stupid. The next time you decide to "serve" someone, think twice or you might just get exposed again. Ouch.
Did he die while on the "throne" with his pants down at his ankles... hahahahahahahahahhahahahahhahaahhahahaha WHO GIVE AN ALLHAH"S A$$..
The Radical Muslim Brotherhood killed him.
That is funny, this sight blocked my use of the word that only black people seem to be able to use; how does this website know I'm white?? I said in my previous post that these "people" are subhuman sand n1gg3rs.
I am tired of the fact that white people can't use a word we invented........just say'n.
i don't care what color you are, i'm black but if i want to call you a @!$%# i will
Please Bail -- you must have your settings so that you don't see anything "offensive". Your comment has not been collapsed, at least not yet. And billy, while you can call whoever you want whatever you want, you really shouldn't be doing it here. And, since you're billy barty, I'm just wondering if that meant that you consider yourself to be a "midget", and if so whether that is of the "mental" variety?
Someday the oil will dry up and they'll be stuck with a bunch of sand and a huge population and no way to feed them.
If we develop our natural gas, and figure out how to use our coal without polution, we won't have to wait for it to dry up, we can watch them sitting on billions of barrels of it, and no one to sell it to, in our lifetime. Then we tell them we might buy some, if they meet our requirements for equality for women, and otherwise come into the 21st century on a variety of other issues.
Rob -
Why will there be a huge population? There's not one now. Most of the people live along the coast, not out in the middle of the desert. People who aren't Saudi who move there to work aren't ever granted citizenship, so the population will shrink if the oil money is gone, as those people mostly will go back home, or at least somewhere else. They are investing much of the money in "sovereign wealth" funds and if they can stop those spendthrift princes from spending it all on Western women, cognac, and the like, it should last them for centuries if not decades even after the oil is all gone. Besides, once you build up your armed forces (and they are one of the few nations in the world who spend even a larger percentage of GDP than we do on defense), give all of few million of citizens free health care and free education through college, and build all of the infastructure that a big, isolated desert penninsula could ever need or want, what else is there to do with governmental revenues?
drone um all
Well, that answers my "mental midget" question.
Ohhh, goodie goodie buddies!! More inbreeding makes for more buddies!!! Ohhhhh! Let's all have some fun!!! Men danceing together, ohhhh so much goodie goodie!!
He supposedly "spearheaded" a crackdown on al quaida after he didn't. 17 of 19 of 9/11's highjackers were Saudis. Sounds like John Kerry, "I voted for the bill, before I voted against it." The only good Hypocrit is one that is GONE!
RIP.
Obama just lost another good friend and brother. Too bad, now he will have to buy another.
In 2002, he announced 9/11 had "been caused by Jews" who have benefited from the attacks. Source:NYTimes.
The man was medieval. And our ally...
40 sons! Wow! They should make a movie about that. Wait, I think Disney beat them to it!
No...sister wives! Ha!
Wow! This guy was in his late 70s and still only crown prince? How old is the king? 150?
Royal my butt. Just another term for dictator.
He looks like he died from living high off the hog.
As a Muslim, that was high off of the SHEEP. And the goats. And maybe the occassional camel.
The people who perpetrated 9/11 were Saudis yet we always called them our "Friends". George Bush saw to it the Saudi princes were able to flee the country after 9/11 even as no one else could fly. We kiss their butts because of oil, it disgusts me.
These people started 911. they're responsible . And That's where all of them came from. We have to wake up to the truth. We've been under their hand for years now. It's time to put an end to their relationship.
Lived until almost 80 as a pampered royal. We should all be so lucky.
So why is this "newsworthy" ? I certainly don't give a damn.