Another Tyrant Dies In Bed

The usual suspects mourn:

King Fahd, Saudi Arabia's ruler since 1982, has died at the age of 84.
Saudi state television announced Crown Prince Abdullah, his half-brother, had been named as King Fahd's successor.

King Fahd had been frail since suffering a debilitating stroke in 1995 and had delegated the running of the kingdom to Crown Prince Abdullah.

Members of the royal family have pledged allegiance to Abdullah. An official ceremony confirming him as king is due to be held on Wednesday.

Oh, people will point to his alliance with the U.S. (self-preservation), his occasional dalliances with reform, but make no bones about it: Fahd and the House of Saud are despots, through and through. They have used the natural resources of their country to enrich themselves, not their people. The Saudis produce nothing whatsoever of value to the world. They simply dig up oil, sell it, and occasionally refine it.

When the oil is gone, the Saudis will no doubt fully embrace barbarism once more.