Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

Death of Saudi King Abdullah

Saudi state television revealed early Friday morning that Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz had passed away. He was 90 years old and was hospitalized for the treatment of pneumonia; however, he could not survive. King Abdullah was officially announced as King of Saudia Arabia in 2006, nonetheless, prior to that he had led the country for about a decade as de facto regent when King Fahd underwent an incapacitating stroke.

His long rule in the country had many aspects to it and was, no doubt, positive for the people of the country but, at the same time, controversial to certain extent. He remained as staunch ally of US and also supported certain reforms, but was not able to introduce bold changes as Saudi society has remained parochial to a large extent and it is really difficult to introduce modern changes, for example, the changes regarding the rights and status of women within the country.

Women in Saudi Arabia, even today, are not permitted to drive and require having the consent of a male in order to work, travel outside the country and even to have a bank account or go through a surgery.

Though US has been an ally to Saudi Arabia but its role and reaction to the status and rights of women in Saudi Arabia has been controversial, as well. It has never emphasized, in a true sense, that there should be changes as per the modern concept of rights and status of women within a state.

King Abdullah, in continuation of its alliance with US supported western war against Al-Qaeda and at the same time kept checks on Iran. He started battling Al-Qaeda a decade earlier when Al-Qaeda militants launched a string of assaults in the kingdom, which was to topple the monarchy. Saudi Arabia, with support of US was able to respond with enormous onslaught and was able to detain suspected militants and sentenced others to death. This crackdown was important in a sense that it broke the stronghold of Al-Qaeda to a great extent and foiled their conspiracy for expansion.

US president Barack Obama, appreciating the close ties with the King, saluted the late king’s commitment to close US – Saudi ties and offered condolences. “As a leader, he was always candid and had the courage of his convictions… One of those convictions was his steadfast and passionate belief in the importance of the US-Saudi relationship as a force for stability and security in the Middle East and beyond… The closeness and strength of the partnership between our two countries is part of King Abdullah’s legacy,” Barack Obama said in a statement.

Nonetheless, analysts believe that the role of King Abdullah was not very active in tackling with the growth of ISIS in the region. ISIS could expand in Iraq and Syria like a wild fire and before the countries in the region and international community could think of any measures to control them, they had already spread their terror throughout the world. Some analysts even believe that the Jihadist movements that were supported by Saudi Arabia gave rise to ISIS but that remains debatable. Nonetheless, US had planned to further their ties with Saudi Arabia so as to fight ISIS in the region. It is not, at the moment, clear how those ties would proceed with the next Saudi King – King Salman. However, there are no serious concerns regarding this issue as King Salman also appears to be having similar approach as King Abdullah.

Islamic militants and their supporters, on the other hand, celebrated the death of Saudi King Abdullah on social media, wherein many of them described him as a "servant" of the Americans who conspired with the West to kill Muslims. This shows that King Abdullah did actually have intentions to support US in their fight against ISIS, therefore, he was seen as enemy by them. However, it can never be neglected that he could have played a very important role in war against ISIS if he would live to be a part of it.

The new Saudi King now has to shoulder this important responsibility. How the growth of ISIS can be controlled largely depends on the stand of King Salman. Therefore, it can be said without any doubt that it is one of the main challenges for him as the new Saudi King. On the other hand, the new King will also face some other major challenges as well, among which the low oil prices is the most important one. Saudi Arabia is the largest oil exporting country and its GDP largely depends on the prices of oil. It basically leads the business but it is important to curb the situation so as to control the oil prices and make maximum profit for the country.

At the same time, the other challenges for the new King include the stand of Saudi Arabia regarding citizens’ rights and privileges. Currently, Saudi citizens are unable to vote except in municipal elections and beheading by sword remains a standard feature of the judicial system. Moreover, the political parties are banned and as mentioned above there are serious concerns regarding the rights of the women. How the new King will face these challenges remains a question that can only be answered in the times to come.