Prince Bandar bin Sultan with G.W. Bush. Wikipedia
Saudi Prince Bandar: a Flamboyant, Hawkish Spy Chief -- New York Times/Reuters
LONDON (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's "peasant prince" with the twinkling eye, hawkish views and fondness for the Dallas Cowboys football team is back, now heading the kingdom's intelligence agency.
On Thursday night Prince Bandar bin Sultan was appointed Saudi Arabia's new spy chief at a moment when the world's top oil exporter is engaged in a bitter rivalry with Shi'ite Muslim power Iran played out in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Bahrain.
The sociable Bandar, 63, who vanished from public view when he was recalled from Washington by King Abdullah in 2005 after notching up 22 years as the kingdom's ambassador there, will immediately be thrust into a game-changing Middle East crisis.
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My Comment: The Saudis are signalling that they are going to now play hardball against their own dissidents, Iran, Syria, and anyone else who gets in their way.
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