Saudi Arabia: What Will Happen After King Fahd?

Long-ailing Saudi monarch King Fahd bin Abdel-Aziz al Saud appears to be on his deathbed; Kuwait was rife with rumors May 3 that he had actually died. When he does pass away, his death will have, to varying degrees, an unsettling impact on domestic Saudi politics and international politics. King Fahd's death at a time when the world perceives the kingdom as facing a threat from al Qaeda further complicates global geopolitics, even if the internal strife might not lead to actual instability regarding governance.