Saudi Arabia intruded on India in the most unexpected of ways—by provoking President Obama to cut short his visit to India to attend the funeral of King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, and forgo Michelle Obama’s dream of visiting the Taj Mahal.
It could not have been otherwise, given the historicity of U.S.-Saudi relations and Saudi Arabia’s recent role in actively aiding the U.S. in bankrupting the Russian and Iranian economies.
Within Saudi Arabia, and the gerontocracy that rules the country, continuity of this policy is reassured. King Abdullah, who died at 90, was regarded as the ‘reformer’ in the rigid Saudi system. His successor King Salman, 79, is by all accounts not in the best of health, yet has moved swiftly not only to assure succession to his branch of the Saudi royals, but also to convey a return to conservatism.