The king of Saudi Arabia has died at the overripe age of 91. You can read some primers on the Saudi Arabian monarchy and the politics of succession here and here. It is reported that Prince Salman will become the king, but it is also widely reported and has been for some time that Prince Salman is suffering from dementia.
Elsewhere on the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen has descended into complete chaos as its president and prime minister have resigned. The precipitating event seems to be a takeover of the capital by Iran-backed Shiite militias.
Isn’t this region fun? What will al-Qaeda in Yemen (all Sunnis) think of this latest development? Will the Shiite militias be more effective than our drone strikes in eradicating this menace?
The Saudis had already withdrawn financial support in anticipation of this turn of events, but now they are being ruled by a demented king. Of course, by most accounts he’s a pro-western kind of prince, at least by House of Saud standards. Maybe he won’t flog bloggers with such enthusiasm.
And, of course, we can’t ignore all the news Netanyahu has been making since the terrorist attacks in Paris. He had a banner day today, too.
I wonder if Iraq and Syria are faring any better?
