Editing Politics of Saudi Arabia (section)

===Royal family===
{{Main|House of Saud}}
The royal family dominates the political system. The family's vast numbers allow it to hold most of the kingdom's important posts and to have an involvement and presence at all levels of government.<ref name= LoC/>
The number of princes is estimated to be anything from 7,000 upwards, with the most power and influence being wielded by the 200 or so male descendants of [[Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia|King Abdulaziz]].<ref name=" FT Saud">{{cite news|title=The House of Saud: rulers of modern Saudi Arabia|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/75aae7ea-cc82-11df-a6c7-00144feab49a.html#axzz1Pon8gQJX|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210211220/https://www.ft.com/content/75aae7ea-cc82-11df-a6c7-00144feab49a#axzz1Pon8gQJX|archive-date=10 December 2022|url-access=subscription|newspaper=Financial Times|date=30 September 2010|access-date=20 June 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>
The key ministries have historically been reserved for the royal family,<ref name=Cavendish78/> as are the thirteen regional governorships.<ref>{{cite book|title=The history of Saudi Arabia|last=Bowen|first=Wayne H.|year=2007|isbn=978-0313340123|pages=15, 108}}</ref> With the large number of family members seeking well-paying jobs, critics complain that even "middle management" jobs in the Kingdom are out of reach for non-royal Saudis, limiting upward mobility and incentive for commoners to excel.<ref>{{cite book|author=House, Karen Elliott|title=On Saudi Arabia: Its People, Past, Religion, Fault Lines and Future| publisher=Knopf|year=2012|page=10,13|quote="Al Saud family members hold all the key jobs, not just at the top but right down through middle management, even to regional managers (the governors of all 13 Saudi provinces are princes). At the bottom of the company, ordinary employees are poorly paid and even more poorly trained because management doesn't want an initiative that might threaten its control. ... Nor surprisingly, the Saudi employees of such a stultifying company are sullen, resentful and unmotivated." }}</ref>

The one exception to this rule was [[Khaled al-Tuwaijri]], Secretary-General of the Court and King Abdullah's ''[[éminence grise]]''. He was a commoner and immensely powerful, which meant he was despised by most royals, especially the Sideris, who sacked him as soon as the old king died.

Long term political and government appointments result in the creation of "power fiefdoms" for senior princes.<ref>{{cite book|title=State, power and politics in the making of the modern Middle East|url=https://archive.org/details/statepowerpoliti00owen_670|url-access=limited|last=Owen|first=Roger|year=2000|isbn=978-0415196741|page=[https://archive.org/details/statepowerpoliti00owen_670/page/n72 56]}}</ref>
Examples include: [[Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz|King Abdullah]], who was the Commander of the [[Saudi Arabian National Guard|National Guard]] from 1963 until 2010, when he then appointed his son to replace him;<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11807255|title=Saudi King Abdullah to go to US for medical treatment|date=21 November 2010|work=BBC News|access-date=20 June 2011|archive-date=30 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930162810/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11807255|url-status=live}}</ref>
Crown [[Prince Sultan]] was Minister of Defense and Aviation from 1962 to 2011; Crown [[Nayef bin Abdul Aziz|Prince Nayef]]  was the Minister of Interior from 1975 until his death in 2012; [[Saud bin Faisal bin Abdul Aziz|Prince Saud]] had been Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1975 to just before his death in 2015;<ref name="bio">{{cite web|url=http://www.saudiembassy.net/about/Biographies-of-Ministers.aspx|title=Biographies of Ministers|publisher=Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Washington, DC|access-date=20 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616222323/http://www.saudiembassy.net/about/Biographies-of-Ministers.aspx|archive-date=16 June 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>
and [[Salman bin Abdul Aziz|King Salman]] was the Governor of the [[Riyadh]] Region from 1962 to 2011.<ref>{{cite news|title=Prince Salman resumes duties at governorate|url=http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article199149.ece|newspaper=Arab News|date=23 November 2010|access-date=20 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124194326/http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article199149.ece|archive-date=24 November 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the absence of national elections and political parties,<ref name=Cavendish78/> politics in Saudi Arabia takes place in two distinct arenas: within the royal family, the Al Saud, and between the royal family and the rest of Saudi society.<ref name= Noreng97>{{cite book|title=Crude power: politics and the oil market|url=https://archive.org/details/crudepowerpoliti00nore|url-access=limited|last=Noreng|first=Oystein|year=2005|isbn=978-1845110239|page=[https://archive.org/details/crudepowerpoliti00nore/page/n145 97]}}</ref> The royal family is politically divided by factions based on clan loyalties, personal ambitions, and ideological differences.<ref name= Noreng97/> The most powerful clan faction is known as the '[[Sudairi|Sudairi Seven]]', comprising the late King Fahd and his full brothers and their descendants.<ref name="Economist Succession"/> Ideological divisions include issues over the speed and direction of reform,<ref name= Kostiner236/> and whether the role of the [[ulama]] should be increased or reduced. There were also divisions within the family over who should succeed Crown Prince Sultan.<ref name="Economist Succession"/><ref name=David33>{{cite book |title=Catastrophic consequences: civil wars and American interests|url=https://archive.org/details/catastrophiccons00davi_914|url-access=limited|last=David |first=Steven R.|year=2008|isbn=978-0801889899|pages=[https://archive.org/details/catastrophiccons00davi_914/page/n47 33]–34}}</ref>

Leading figures in the royal family with differing ideological orientations included [[Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud|Prince Nayef]], the late Interior Minister, and [[Saud bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz|Prince Saud Al-Faisal]], the Foreign Minister. Prince Nayef was personally committed to maintaining Saudi Arabia's conservative Wahhabi values. Of the senior princes, he was probably the least comfortable with King Abdullah's desire for reform. Following the [[9/11|11 September 2001 attacks]] in the United States, perpetrated mostly by Saudi nationals, Prince Nayef was strongly criticized by the U.S. for his reaction. It also took pressure from within the royal family for him to launch a hunt for Islamist militants who had attacked Western targets in Saudi Arabia. By contrast, Prince Saud Al Faisal is one of the strongest supporters of political and social reform.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7068977.stm|title=Who's who: Senior Saudis|date=30 October 2007|work=BBC News|access-date=21 July 2011|archive-date=24 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224092929/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7068977.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> For example, he (as well as King Abdullah) has spoken in favor of women having the right to vote, to follow the career path they wish, and to be able to drive a car. Women would be able to vote in municipal elections beginning in 2012.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-15052030|title=Women in Saudi Arabia to vote and run in elections|work=BBC News|date=25 September 2011|access-date=26 September 2021|archive-date=18 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018101520/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-15052030|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,360658,00.html|title=The Koran Doesn't Oppose Women Driving|date=15 June 2005|magazine=Der Spiegel|access-date=21 July 2011|archive-date=24 June 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090624143159/http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,360658,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref>