Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud
Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud | |||||
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Khalid, and Faisal | |||||
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House | Al Saud | ||||
Father | Sultan bin Abdulaziz | ||||
Mother | Khiziran | ||||
Alma mater |
Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud (
Early life
Bandar was born officially on 2 March 1949 in
Bandar's parents were Prince
Bandar thus spent his early years in a non-royal milieu, living with his mother and aunt, and had little contact with his father until he was about eight years old.
Education
Bandar graduated from the
One of his classmates in Cranwell was Bandar bin Faisal, son of King Faisal and his future brother-in-law.[7]
Initial career
Bandar joined the Royal Saudi Air Force, and rose to the rank of
In 1982,
Ambassador to the United States (1983–2005)
On 24 October 1983 Bandar was appointed ambassador to the United States by King Fahd.
Reagan era
During the
Clinton era
Clinton, as governor of Arkansas, had asked him to help pay for the Middle East Studies Center at the
In the first autumn of Clinton's presidency, September 1993, Prince Bandar was appointed Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, and he continued the role until the second term of George W. Bush's presidency.[18]
Bush presidencies
Bandar formed close relationships with several American presidents, notably George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush, his closeness to the latter gaining him the affectionate and controversial nickname 'Bandar Bush'.[19] His particularly close relationship with the Bush family was highlighted in Michael Moore's documentary Fahrenheit 9/11. He was reportedly so close to George H. W. Bush that he was often described as a member of the former president's family.[3][20] He advocated Saddam Hussein's overthrow in Iraq in March 2003.[21] He encouraged military action against Iraq and supported Dick Cheney's agenda for "The New Middle East", which called for pro-democracy programs in both Syria and Iran.[21]
Resignation
On 26 June 2005, Bandar submitted his resignation as ambassador to the United States for "personal reasons".[22] The official end date of his term was 8 September 2005.[23] Bandar returned to Saudi Arabia weeks prior to the death of King Fahd, upon which Bandar's father, Sultan bin Abdulaziz, became the nation's crown prince. It was rumored that Bandar's return was timed in order to secure a position in the new government.[24]
Prince Bandar was succeeded as ambassador by Prince
Secretary General of National Security Council (2005–2015)
In October 2005, King Abdullah appointed Bandar bin Sultan as secretary-general of the newly created National Security Council.[25]
Bandar secretly met with U.S. officials in 2006 after resigning as ambassador.[26] Seymour Hersh reported in 2007 in The New Yorker that as Saudi Arabia's national security adviser, Bandar continued to meet privately with both President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. At that time Hersh described Bandar as a key architect of the Bush administration policy in Iraq and the Middle East.[13]
On 25 January 2007, Saudi Arabia sent Bandar to Iran for discussions on the crisis in Lebanon and the Kingdom even held talks with
Bandar's tenure as secretary general was extended for four years on 3 September 2009.[29] His term ended on 29 January 2015.[30] The office was also abolished on the same day.[31]
Disappearance and rumors
After King Abdullah renewed Bandar's post on the National Security Council for an additional 4-year term in September 2009, Bandar failed to make the customary public demonstration of his allegiance to him.
Hugh Miles of the London Review of Books reported rumors that Bandar was undergoing surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Bandar's lawyer denied these rumors;[32] he has no spokesman.[33]
Le Figaro's Middle East blog reported that Bandar had been in a hospital in France, and was recuperating in Morocco.[34]
Iran's Press TV reported that Bandar was under house arrest for an attempted coup. Saudi opposition sources said he was in Dhaban Prison.[32] Some rumors alleged that his coup was exposed by Russian intelligence services because of his frequent trips to Moscow to encourage cooperation against Iran.[32]
In October 2010, Middle East analyst Simon Henderson reported in Foreign Policy that Prince Bandar had made his first public appearance in almost two years. Citing official Saudi media, Henderson reported that Bandar had been greeted at the airport by "a virtual who's who of Saudi political figures." Henderson noted that no explanation had been given for the Prince's whereabouts for the previous two years—the only detail was that he had returned "from abroad." Henderson and other analysts viewed this reemergence as a sign of Bandar's rehabilitation into the active politics of the kingdom.[35]
In what was perceived as a return to prominence, in March 2011, Bandar was sent to
The other goal of his late March 2011 visit to Islamabad was to raise the prospect of a return engagement for the Pakistan Army. The goal was achieved, and Pakistan quickly approved the proposal.[37] His visit to China during the same period resulted in the issuing of lucrative contracts in return for political support. Since China was not a friend of the Arab Spring, it was eager for Saudi oil and investment. Bandar secretly negotiated the first big Saudi-Chinese arms deal. Thus, Bandar was the Kingdom's premier China expert.[37]
Director General of Saudi Intelligence Agency (2012–2014)
Bandar was appointed director general of
Bandar organised the visit of Manaf Tlass, who defected from Syria on 6 July 2012, to Saudi Arabia in the last week of July 2012.[43]
In 2013 Bandar said that the Saudis would "shift away" from the United States over Syrian and Iranian policy.[44]
According to a number of articles, Bandar, allegedly confronted Vladimir Putin in a bid to break the deadlock over Syria. This included security of winter Olympics in Sochi if there is no accord. "I can give you a guarantee to protect the Winter Olympics next year. The Chechen groups that threaten the security of the games are controlled by us," he allegedly said.[45] Putin then rejected the proposal furiously by saying "we know that you have supported the Chechen terrorist groups for a decade. And that support, which you have frankly talked about just now, is completely incompatible with the common objectives of fighting global terrorism that you mentioned."[46]
Bandar had been tasked with managing Saudi policy in the
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki reportedly complained about secret Saudi Arabian support for militant groups saying, "They are attacking Iraq, through Syria and in a direct way, and they announced war on Iraq, as they announced it on Syria, and unfortunately it is on a sectarian and political basis."[48]
Assassination rumors
In July 2012, the rumours of his assassination were reported by
In August 2013,
Bandar was also described as "jetting from covert command centers near the Syrian front lines to the Élysée Palace in Paris and the Kremlin in Moscow, seeking to undermine the Assad regime." He had a simple message: my kingdom has the money needed to defeat Assad—and we're ready to use it.[28]
On 15 April 2014, Bandar was removed from his position "at his own request" according to the announcement in the Saudi state media.[61][62] He remained as secretary general of the National Security Council until it was abolished in January 2015.
Views
Bandar considers himself an American Hamiltonian conservative.
Bandar argued some researchers "learn to speak a few words of Arabic and call themselves experts about the affairs of my country."[64]
According to American diplomat and former ambassador to Israel,
Honours and awards
Bandar is the recipient of
Controversy
Bandar endured controversy over allegations in the book Plan of Attack by Bob Woodward that President George W. Bush informed him of the decision to invade Iraq ahead of Secretary of State Colin Powell.[68]
Bandar helped negotiate the 1985 Al Yamamah deal, a series of massive arms sales by the
A court affidavit filed on 3 February 2015 claims that Zacarias Moussaoui was a courier between Osama bin Laden and Turki bin Faisal Al Saud in the late 1990s, and that Turki introduced Moussaoui to Bandar.[72] Zacarias Moussaoui stated on oath and wrote to Judge George B. Daniels that Saudi royal family members, including Prince Bandar, donated to Al-Qaeda and helped finance the 11 September attacks.[73] The Saudi government continues to deny any involvement in the 9/11 plot, and claims there is no evidence to support Moussaoui's allegations in spite of numerous previous intense investigations, noting that Moussaoui's own lawyers presented evidence of his mental incompetence during his trial.[72] Leaked information from the redacted portion of the 9/11 Commission Report states that two of the 9/11 hijackers received $US130,000 in payment from Bandar's bank account.[74]
Personal life
In 1972, Bandar married
His daughter Princess
The youngest two (Hussa and Abdulaziz) attended Potomac School in McLean, Virginia, while living in Washington from 2001 to 2005. Abdulaziz also attended Abingdon School from 2008 to 2010.[81]
Habits and health concerns
Known for his cigar smoking,[82] he usually wears European clothes,[83] and he likes American colloquialisms and American history.[83] In the mid-1990s, he suffered his first depression.[84] His health problems were reported to have continued into the 2010s, often being treated abroad.[85]
Property
He travels frequently on his private Airbus A340.[3] He owned Glympton Park, Oxfordshire, until March 2021 when he sold the property to the King of Bahrain’s family.[86][87]
Bandar owned an estate with a 32-room house in Aspen, Colorado. He bought the land in 1989 and built the residence in 1991.[88] On 12 July 2006, it was reported that Prince Bandar was seeking to sell his 56,000-square-foot (5,200 m2) mansion in Aspen, Colorado, for US$135 million. The palatial vacation home, called Hala Ranch, is larger than the White House, is perched on a mountaintop of 95 acres (380,000 m2), and includes 15 bedrooms and 16 bathrooms featuring 24-karat gold fixtures. In December 2006, the mansion was still listed for sale at $135 million.[26] In December 2007, the 14,395-square-foot (1,337.3 m2) guesthouse was sold for a reported $36.5 m.[89] The purported reason for the sale is that Bandar was too busy to enjoy the mansion.[90] Finally, he sold his Aspen ranch for $49 million to Starwood Mountain Ranch LLC in June 2012.[88] It is reported that billionaire John Paulson bought Hala Ranch,[91] and Paulson confirmed this.[92]
Membership
Bandar is a board member of the Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Foundation.[93]
Donations
In 1990, Bandar donated an unknown amount to finance construction of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies (OCIS).[94]
References
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External links
- October 2020 Al Arabiya interview: Full transcript: Prince Bandar bin Sultan’s interview on Israel-Palestine conflict.