| Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud | |
|---|---|
| Prince Bandar in 2008 | |
| President of General Intelligence | |
| Tenure | 19 July 2012 – 15 April 2014 |
| Predecessor | Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud |
| Successor | Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud |
| Monarch | Abdullah |
| Secretary General of the National Security Council | |
| Tenure | 16 October 2005 – 29 January 2015 |
| Predecessor | Office established |
| Successor | Office abolished |
| Monarch | Abdullah |
| Saudi Ambassador to the United States | |
| Tenure | 24 October 1983 – 8 September 2005 |
| Predecessor | Faisal Alhegelan |
| Successor | Turki bin Faisal Al Saud |
| Monarch | FahdAbdullah |
Bandar was officially born on 2 March 1949 in Taif.[1] By his own account, and according to Western think tanks, his actual date of birth is later. He had reportedly altered his birthday (overstated his age) to enter the Royal Saudi Air Force while a teen.[2]
Clinton era[edit]
Clinton, as governor of Arkansas, had asked him to help pay for the Middle East Studies Center at the University of Arkansas.[3] In the 1990s, he persuaded Libyan president Muammar Gaddafi to turn in two suspects allegedly involved in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. He privately described Gaddafi as “a Jerry Lewis trying to be a Churchill“.[3]
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[edit]
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]
Disappearance and rumors[edit]
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.[33] This noticeable absence was followed by others: an avid fan of the Dallas Cowboys, Bandar did not appear in his customary seat—next to owner Jerry Jones in Jones’s skybox—for the home opener of the new Cowboys Stadium.[33]
In October 2009, he was not present in King Abdullah’s delegation for the watershed Damascus visit.[33] Most strikingly, in December 2009, Prince Bandar was not present for the return of his father, Crown Prince Sultan, from Morocco.[33] After that event, journalists began to report on Bandar’s disappearance, noting that his last appearance in public had been with King Abdullah in Jeddah on 10 December 2008.[33]
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;[33] he has no spokesman.[34]
Le Figaro‘s Middle East blog reported that Bandar had been in a hospital in France, and was recuperating in Morocco.[35]
Iran’s Press TV reported that Bandar was under house arrest for an attempted coup. Saudi opposition sources said he was in Dhaban Prison.[33] Some rumors alleged that his coup was exposed by Russian intelligence services because of his frequent trips to Moscow to encourage cooperation against Iran.[33]
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.[36]
In what was perceived as a return to prominence, in March 2011, Bandar was sent to Pakistan, India, Malaysia, and China to gather support for Saudi Arabia’s military intervention in Bahrain.[34][37] In April 2011, Bandar was present in meetings when U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates visited King Abdullah and in a separate visit by National Security Advisor Tom Donilon.[37]
Dynastic Successions Book 
