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Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud
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| Offices: Crown Prince, Second Deputy Prime
Minister, Minister of Defense and Aviation |
| | Born: January 5, 1924, Riyadh | | | Education: Early education in religion, modern
culture, and diplomacy at the royal court. | | | Lineage: Son of King Ibn Saud, member of the
"Sudairi Seven" | |
| Line to Throne: First |
| | Miscellaneous: Founded the National Commission
for Wildlife Conservation and Development in 1986 to promote the
protection of Saudi Arabia's indigenous wildlife. | | | Quote: "We are part of the global economic
circumstances, but, thank God, we are still preserving the dignity of
the Saudi people and their prosperity, as well as the kingdom's
infrastructure." | |
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Crown Prince Sultan first entered the Saudi government when he was appointed
Governor of Riyadh Region in 1947. In 1963 he was called
up to head the powerful Ministry of Defense and Aviation. Under his
guidance, Saudi Arabia strengthened and modernized its military forces
while conducting a brisk arms trade with both the U.S. and the United
Kingdom. Prince Sultan is also reported to have built much of his
considerable wealth on large commissions recouped from government arms
purchases.
Since the terrorist attacks of 9/11, in which 15 of
the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals, the kingdom's relations with the
U.S. have become more difficult and convoluted. In late 2001, Prince
Sultan denied the United States the use of Saudi bases to stage military
strikes on Afghanistan. At the time he said, "We will not accept in our
country even a single soldier who will attack Muslims or Arabs."
However, it was revealed after the Iraq War that the kingdom allowed
allied forces to operate from at least three air bases within its
borders and provided cheap fuel.
Prince Sultan is also known for his humanitarian and philanthropic contributions. He established a
charity foundation in his name to support socially beneficial projects
in medicine, science, technology, and education. Unfortunately, the
Prince's philanthropic efforts haven't always earned him praise: in
August of 2002 he was sued by the families of September 11 victims for
contributions he allegedly made to charities with ties to al-Qaeda.
Elevated to the rank of Crown Prince after King Fahd's death in 2005, concerns over the aging Sultan's health have caused some to question when Saudi leadership will be passed on to the younger "second generation" princes.
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Photo Essay - Take a look
at the faces and places of Saudi Arabia
Interactive Map - Learn about
the Saudi oil industry and the world's dependence on such.
Info-Graphic -
Examine the numbers of Muslims in the World and in the West.
Debate: Islam and
Democracy Two scholars, Dr. Daniel Pipes and Dr. Muqtedar Khan
discuss the compatibility of Islam and democracy.
Interactive Map: Middle
East- Learn more about the politics, population and history of
Middle East countries.
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