King Abdullah, who sought to modernize Saudi Arabia, dies at 90

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah, the powerful U.S. ally who joined Washington’s fight against al-Qaeda and sought to modernize the ultraconservative Muslim kingdom with incremental but significant reforms, including nudging open greater opportunities for women, died on Friday. He was 90. His successor is his 79-year-old half-brother, Prince Salman, who has recently taken on the ailing Abdullah’s responsibilities, according to the official Saudi Press Agency. Abdullah was selected as crown prince in 1982 on the day his half-brother Fahd ascended to the throne. The decision was challenged by a full brother of Fahd, Prince Sultan, who wanted the title for himself. But the family eventually closed ranks behind Abdullah to prevent splits. Abdullah became de facto ruler in 1995 when a stroke incapacitated Fahd.

He has presided over a country that has inched forward, either on its own or with his leadership.

Karen Elliot House, author of “On Saudi Arabia: Its People, Past, Religion, Fault Lines”

More than his guarded and hidebound predecessors, Abdullah assertively threw his oil-rich nation’s weight behind trying to shape the Middle East. His priority was to counter the influence of rival, mainly Shiite Iran wherever it tried to make advances. He and fellow Sunni Arab monarchs also staunchly opposed the Middle East’s wave of pro-democracy uprisings, seeing them as a threat to stability and their own rule. After news of his death, oil prices jumped and added to uncertainty in energy markets already facing some of the biggest shifts in decades. Brent crude futures rose to a high of $49.80 a barrel shortly after opening.

Middle East King Abdullah