Abdullah, 89, functions fully as monarch, prime minister and national policymaker all rolled in one. He has decided to slow down negotiations for a non-aggression pact with Iran because Tehran is in too much of a hurry.

Khamenei hastened to accept the Saudi offer to negotiate a non-aggression pact, using it as a lifeline and new lever for diplomatic maneuvering. But he insists on Saudi Crown Prince Salman visiting Tehran next month as the condition for continuing negotiations.

Saudis offered Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Mecca a non-aggression pact. Tehran rejection would lay Iran open to attack. The Iranian president sought counter-guarantees that Saudi Arabia would not be party to US or Israeli attacks. It is up to Khamenei to decide what next.

New Crown Prince Salman is determined to bring his Sudairi clan to the fore of the royal stakes in Riyadh. The king’s appointment of his kinsman Prince Bandar gives Salman, who is already defense minister a strong in to the intelligence apparatus as well.

Saudi Arabia and Turkey agree to set up a joint command for coordinating preparations for a combined invasion of Syria and the creation of buffer zones protected by their air forces. Ankara is putting pressure on NATO to help defend Turkish borders against Iranian reprisal. Both partners ...

There is almost no record of the views and orientation of the new Saudi crown prince and defense minister. However, Princes Nayef and Salman will be running the oil kingdom's foreign and defense affairs in the coming decade, taking the lead for the entire Gulf region as Iran becomes ...