A Sketch of King Fahd's Reign

To introduce the King by his full title is almost sacrilegious, given his character and lack of leadership in the Islamic world. Officially, however, this is the reign of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz Al Saud.

He was born in 1921 (1340H) and grew up as one of the poorly educated princes kept at home to study at the Prince's School, then at the Saudi Institute in Makkah Al Mukarramah. This is part of the problem. While he has the proper pedigree for a ruler, born of the House of Saud, he does not have the credentials of a modern, educated, leader with a global understanding and perspective.

Briefly, he became the first Minister of Education during the reign of King Saud, was appointed the Minister of the Interior in 1962, and became Second deputy Premier in 1967. In 1975, during the reign of King Khaled, he was annointed Crown Prince and First Deputy Premier. He ascended to the throne upon the death of King Khaled and has afflicted his royal leadership upon the country since 1982.

Islamic leadership begins with the example of the individual. Although Fahd has cultivated the image of Islamization of his reign, his private life has strayed far from the model set forth in the Qur'an for the model Muslim.

That example, and the example of the Prophet Himself, presents an individual who is modest, charitable, caring, humble, worshipful, righteous, abs

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, which hurt both its position in the Arab world and the economy. It became more dependent on the United States for military support, because the failing economy led to lower expenditures for self-defense (GCC grapples with crisis, 1998). This was itself badly-organized to begin with, as was obvious during the Gulf War. In a recent discussion with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council states, Crown Prince Abdullah told the Council that the oil boom days had ceased and that the citizens of each country had to look elsewhere for support than to their own governments. In other words, he was asserting that the support systems that Saudi Arabia had created for its own citizens, including multiple subsidies, were likely to continue to be dismantled. At the same time, as noted above, the oil wealth of members of the royal family continues to be extreme, with most worth millions of dollars individually. At the same time, the oil boom has been abating, and the House of Saud has been gathering in its riches, the country as been bought off with subsidies, new housing, and promises of continued good care into the future. The House of Saud has failed at that, however, and the citizenry is no longer as willing to accept that the

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