[QODLink]
Inside Story
New prince, tougher kingdom?
Inside Story discusses what Nayef bin Abdelaziz's appointment as crown prince means for Saudi Arabia's future.
Last Modified: 29 Oct 2011 11:24

Prince Nayef bin Abdelaziz, Saudi Arabia's interior minister, has been installed as the new crown prince of Saudi Arabia. He became the governor of Riyadh when he was just 20-years-old, and has been the interior minister since 1975.

While his brother, King Abdullah, is widely viewed as a reformer, Prince Nayef is known as staunch anti-reform conservative, being opposed to giving women the right to vote or drive. 

His task is to keep the kingdom politically stable and prevent the sort of upheavals seen in the wider Middle East, and most of the time this has been the case.

One of the most powerful men of the country, it is not a surprise that he has been installed as the new crown prince, but should reformists in the country be concerned about Prince Nayef's new role? And what does it mean for the future of the kingdom and the region?

Inside Story presenter Hazem Sika discusses with guests Saeed Al Shihabi, a political analyst specialising in the Gulf region; Michael Stephens, a researcher at the Royal United Services Insitute, also co-author of a commentary on the death of Crown Prince Sultan and what it means for the house of Saud; and Hussein Shobokshi, a Saudi journalist. 

Source:
Al Jazeera
Topics in this article
People
Country
City
Featured on Al Jazeera
Murder of Somali draws ire of foreign African nationals over rising xenophobic violence.
We look at the impact of increased sanctions against the Islamic Republic and ask who it really affects.
Tupamaros enforce rough justice in Venezuela's slums to support socialism, but critics say the group are violent thugs.
More than a decade ago the US launched a war against Afghanistan, but was it a justified battle?
Featured
Two years since the start of the uprising, rebels and Assad's forces remain locked in conflict.
Extensive coverage of political unrest that spread from Istanbul to other areas.
Revelations over NSA spying are threatening president's European trip.
Some urbanites are returning to their rural roots to farm the land.
Kuwait's 'Bidoon' have been stripped of rights and treated as second-class citizens.
join our mailing list