Saudi Royal Family

The modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was created in 1932 by Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud who united the warring tribes of the Arabian Peninsula either through military conquest, diplomatic ventures or marriage pacts. The city of Riyadh, headquarters of the powerful Saud clan, was named the capital of the newly formed country.

As part of all those marriage pacts and wives, a total of forty plus sons were born to the King. Some of those sons have since served as rulers after ibn Saud's demise in the early fifties. Abdullah, the present monarch, was borne by a diffferent mother versus the other sons who have been on the throne. To date, no grandson of the founder has ascended to the throne, although that is merely a matter of time.

Now, the princes in the greater Saud clan number in the thousands and hold every responsible position, for the most part, in the government, including a number of critical ambassadorships in important countries abroad. The Gambit envisions a fictional prince, Tariq, one of numerous grandsons of the original King, holding the strategic Minister of Finance post within the Kingdom.

The scenario unfolded in the pages of The Gambit visualizes a clique of younger but influential princes, huddled in the shadows of Riyadh, resentful of the present doddering monarch, King Ibrahim, and his perceived pandering to American interests. A strong whiff of Wahhabism, that virulent strain of desert Islamic fundamentalism, blows over these princes, led by the imposing Tariq. The clique is not happy with the continuous accommodation to infidel America's policies and satiation of their growing oil appetite at ever lower oil prices in real terms.

Tariq emerges from the bunch with an audacious scheme to jolt oil markets globally by arranging for a strategic series of terrorist events designed to send oil prices to the stratosphere. He is joined in the endeavor by a small band of individuals sharing his vision or having their own axes to grind against the U.S., such as the strange banker from Beirut, Michel Antoun. The resulting shocks to petroleum interests spike oil prices substantially, ushering a massive wealth transfer to the Kingdom. More importantly, the Prince's prestige within the radical princely contingent is very much enhanced, as he is accorded credit for the economic coup. Perhaps that support will translate into achieving the next coup he desires, replacing Ibrahim on the throne.

The Gambit chronicles old King Ibrahim's desperate attempts to keep the Kingdom together and protected from internal restive elements, to placate the Americans post-9/11, and to neutralize Tariq in some manner as he is aware the younger prince is plotting for his throne. He most certainly does not want to be another Saddam, replaceable and irrelevant. To arrange Tariq's demise personally might be his own undoing, both from the princes within and perhaps even from America, whose president is a personal friend of Tariq. But could he con the U.S., in some manner, into doing the dirty work for him?

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