Saudi Arabia in line for Arab Spring? Saudi king to bury Crown Prince, find successor

Blogman's Notes: As the unrest in Syria becomes a full blown civil war, and with Egypt waiting in the wings to suffer a similar fate, the nation to keep a close eye on is Saudi Arabia! With the Saudi king at a ripe young age of 89, and with two potential successors dying off in quick succession, Saudi Arabia may be facing a power struggle that could (and probably will) launch an Arab spring in a nation of vital interest to the whole world due to its influence on oil prices. One way or the other, I believe an Arab Spring is coming to Saudi Arabia, and it may come sooner than may anticipate.
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• Saudi king to bury Crown Prince, find successor | Reuters

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Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah prepared to bury his former heir, Crown Prince Nayef, on Sunday before naming a new successor at a challenging time for the world's top oil exporter and self-styled steward of Islam.

The crown prince's body arrived in Jeddah on Sunday a day after his death, where it was met at King Khaled Airport by a host of Saudi princes.

Among them was the most likely candidate to take the position to succeed the 89-year-old king is Prince Salman, 76, another son of Saudi Arabia's founder Abdulaziz ibn Saud.

The new crown prince will become heir to a king who is aged 89 at a time when Saudi Arabia faces a variety of challenges at home and abroad.

Although the Interior Ministry, which the late Nayef headed for 37 years, crushed al Qaeda inside Saudi Arabia its Yemeni wing has sworn to topple the ruling al-Saud family and has plotted attacks against the kingdom.

Read More: Saudi king to bury Crown Prince, find successor | Reuters