Who’s Who? The House of Saud

August 6, 2007

King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Saud
Offices: King, Prime Minister, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
Historical Role: King Abdullah serves a critical role in internal Saudi politics by reconciling differences between reformist movements and traditional Islamic groups. Moreover, he continues to work with Western powers to stabilize regional conflicts in the Middle East.

Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud
Offices: Crown Prince, First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation, First in line to the throne
Historical Role: The Crown Prince has played a divisive role in Saudi politics for almost 45 years. He negotiated the alleged corrupt 1985 Al Yamamah arms agreement between Saudi Arabia and the U.K. Additionally, Prince Sultan denied U.S. use of Saudi bases to stage military strikes on Afghanistan. However, it was later revealed that the Kingdom allowed allied forces to operate from air bases within its borders.

Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud
Offices: Minister of the Interior, Second in line to the throne
Historical Role: Prince Nayef has continually fought Western influences and relied on political support from traditional Saudi movements. Nayef denied U.S. access to several Saudis implicated in the 1996 bombing of Khobar Towers in Dhahran, which killed 19 American servicemen. In addition, he claimed that the Jewish people organized the September 11th attacks.

Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud
Offices: Secretary-General of the Saudi National Security Council, Former Ambassador to the U.S. (1983-2005)
Historical Role: Throughout his 22-year post as Ambassador to the U.S. Prince Bandar worked with U.S. governments in resolving Middle East conflicts. In the 2000 Camp David Summit, Prince Bandar personally urged Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to accept the Clinton-backed peace accord.

Prince Turki Al-Faisal bin Abdul Al-Aziz Al-Saud
Offices: Former Ambassador to the U.S. (July 2005 – December 2006)
Historical Role: Prince Turki’s abrupt departure from his Ambassadorial post after only 15 months occurred amid great controversy. Turki’s disagreements with Prince Bandar in the approach to countering Iran coupled with the illness of his brother, the Foreign Minister Prince Saud, both reportedly contributed to his resignation.



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