Abstract
The paper looks into the life history of King Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, and how he gained power, creating the united Saudi Arabia. It analyzes the role of Saudi Arabia in WWII and its relations with US. The essay studies the current situation in Saudi Arabia, and how the country is preparing for leadership changes.
Abdullah ibn Abdilazīz is one of the most influential people in the world, according to a report by Forbes and became king in 2005, after the death of King Fahd, his half-brother. He is one of the most influential people in the world, according to a report by Forbes. He is known as the creator of Saudi Arabia and has held important administrative responsibilities throughout his career. He was made mayor of Mecca in 1961 and was selected Saudi Arabian National Guard commander in 1962. When he became king in 2005, he was working as the commander of the Saudi Arabian National Guard (King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud, the custodian of the two holy mosques, 2009).
Abdullah ibn Abdilazīz was born on born 1 August the city of Riyadh to the King Abdulaziz and Fahda bint. He was the tenth son and his mother Fahda descended from the powerful tribe Shammar. She was killed when Abdullah was six. Perhaps a speech impediment in early years and his maternal roots kept him away from the higher status that was enjoyed by the other sons of King.
How Abdul Aziz Al-Saud gained power
Abdul Aziz Al-Saud was brought up under the strict care of his father and he learned the fundamentals of Islam from a group of contemporary scholars. He showed an impressive array of talents and was able to imbibe both current and historical events. Soon, he attained the essential qualities of leadership and statesmanship. He became the sixth king of Saudi Arabia, the oil rich country that controlled 18% of the oil of the world. His kingdom is one of the richest countries on the planet. The high-income economy and human development under the initiative of the King is the reason behind the progress and prosperity of the country.
The tribes of the Arabian Peninsula were scattered, and it was due to the initiative taken by King Abdul Aziz Al Saud, that those splintered tribes unified. He annexed Al Ahsa, Al Qasseem, Asir and Hayel in 1921. Abdul Aziz carried on his Jihad for 31 years and was finally able to establish the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, after uniting the peninsula's feuding tribes. He developed the organizational systems that were required the administration to run properly. An organized government was set up in Hijaz and his son, Prince Faisal assumed the post of General Prosecutor. He also set up Saudi Shoura Council and the Council of Deputies.
Abdul Aziz Al Saud was the custodian the two holiest cities in Islam. The overhaul of Mecca led to a dominating skyline and a complete overhaul of Mecca. King Abdullah has been an impressive ruler of the petrodollar-fueled empire for many years. The king enjoyed a personal wealth worth $18 billion, and that makes him the third richest ruler. The transformation of Saudi Arabia has been astonishing under the rule of King Abdulaziz Al-Saud. Within a short period, the Kingdom has not only become a sophisticated state from a desert nation but is also a major player on the international stage.
Saudi Arabia in WWII
Although Saudi Arabia was officially neutral during WWII, it did serve the Allies with large supplies of oil. It severed diplomatic contacts with Germany and Japan. However, it established diplomatic relations with the United States. Although Saudi Arabia declared war on Germany and Japan in 1845, there were no military actions. Abd al Aziz was careful about maintaining a formal neutrality during most of the war and slowly shouted an inclination toward the Allied side. The outbreak of the war did halt the oil sales, and as the needs of the for oil rose, Saudi oil reserves played a great strategic importance.
King Abdul Aziz Al-Saud was a close friend of Franklin D. Roosevelt and allowed the Americans to build an air-force base near Dhahran. Roosevelt met Abdulaziz in 1945 in person and the two countries have dated the start of their “special relationship” to this meeting. President Roosevelt stated that the defense of Saudi Arabia was of prime importance. British power and influence had begun to diminish by the end of World War II (O’Sullivan, 2012).. United States surfaced as the major Western power on the Arabian Peninsula and the King actually helped the US during WWII with its needs for oil/petroleum and also provided an air force base in Dhahran.
As the power is passed on to the next generation of the royal family, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz;s sons are in positions of power and influence in the kingdom. His sons already enjoy key governorships and have increased authority in the Foreign Ministry (Kumaraswamy, 2003). Abdulaziz bin Abdullah, his third son, is the kingdom's deputy foreign minister. Prince Turki bin Abdullah, his another son is the governor of Riyadh. Prince Mutaib was a local representative for the Ford Motor Corporation in Saudi Arabia in the early 2000.
Saudi leadership with a stable and formalized order of succession may give into a scenario with shorter reigns. A younger prince would project an image of more consistency and stability in place of the need for repeated changeovers in leadership.
President Barack Obama‘s visit to Saudi Arabia has roused numerous comments of analysts. There is no denying that the region is one of the principal oil producers and exporters in the world. US would naturally be interested to learn about any change in leadership and will keep a close watch over the change in the leadership. Despite their differences, the two countries are trying their best to continue their friendship (Saudi Arabia to mend relations with US, 2002). The Americans have optimistic plans of the Saudi rulers and are trying to make the best of a bad situation to pursue their selfish goals and plans. The Saudi king is disappointed by deviation of US from the previous strategic course. The Saudi royal family expects undivided support from US in exchange for uninterrupted supply of the black gold. Despite many ups and downs, the relationships have been maintained. However, Washington seems to have second thoughts on its unconditional support of Riyadh.
Nevertheless, because of the concerns regarding the transfer of power in Saudi Arabia, Saudi-US negotiations have been kept fully secret. Important lessons are learned from the change of power in Qatar, and it should be remembered that the influence of the royal family members
is mainly decided by their belonging to a specific family clan. Enormous changes are concocting in Saudi Arabia now and how the King’s sons can handle the current situations and US relations remains to be seen. Of course, the younger and new generation might no longer want to play by the old rules. There are already protests by the Shiite minority in the main oil production areas. The shortsighted policies involving Yemen, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq has damaged the country and the aggression towards Iran seem to be artificially stimulated.
References
King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud, the custodian of the two holy mosques. (2009). Business Recorder.
O'Sullivan, C. D. (2012). World of the Roosevelt’s: FDR and the end of empire: The origins of American power in the middle east Palgrave Macmillan.
Kumaraswamy, P. R. (2003). Succession in Saudi Arabia. Milwaukee: University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee.
Saudi Arabia to mend relations with US. (2002, ). China Daily, pp. 4.
