Strategic Assessment

The guidelines for Saudi Arabian royal succession were formulated on the basis of principles bequeathed by Ibn Saud and the monarchy’s unique needs, circumstances, and political structure. These arrangements, first and foremost the transfer of power among members of the same generation, may have had a positive effect on the monarchy’s stability over the years, but they created a critical problem as the pool of potential heirs ages. With the recent move to the generation of Ibn Saud’s grandsons, the struggle for the throne – generally occurring behind the scenes – is becoming one that involves many princes and could have a negative effect on stability in this leading Gulf state.