LONDON ¨C The contrast between the deaths, within two days of each other, of Libya¡¯s Col. Moammar Gadhafi and Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdel Aziz is one of terminal buffoonery versus decadent gerontocracy. And their demise is likely to lead to very different outcomes: liberation for the Libyans and stagnation for the Saudis.
But the death of Sultan, at 86, marks the beginning of a critical period of domestic and foreign uncertainty for the kingdom. After all, Sultan¡¯s half-brother, King Abdullah, 87, is still hospitalized in Riyadh, following a major operation last month. The regime is aging and ailing, and is perceived by the population as being on life support.
Meanwhile, the succession is still being argued. Sultan¡¯s death is the first time that the burial of a Saudi royal has been delayed to give the ruling family time to decide on the next in line ¡ª a sign of internal discord (and concord on the continuation of dynastic rule).
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