How to Bring Change to the Kingdom

It's the weekend in Saudi Arabia. crown prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud has rounded up a few brothers, sons and friends for a royal game of lawn bowls. Wearing a Bedouin robe and an incongruous pair of striped Adidas running shoes, the de facto ruler of the world's richest oil sheikdom is ready to play. He stands up to the pitch and hurls a weighty ball down the grassy turf with impressive precision. Throughout the afternoon, he is constantly up and down from his chair, despite his considerable girth and advanced age (78). In between throws and sips of tea, he coaches a Time correspondent in the finer points of the sport. "Be careful of the topography," he warns, using his palm to illustrate the hazards. "Even a slight grade can send the ball off course."

Critics of Saudi Arabia will be quick to wonder if Abdullah shouldn't be paying less attention to the contours of a bowling green and more to the political lie of the land. The Sept. 11 deeds of Saudi-born terrorist Osama bin Laden and 15 fellow Saudi plane hijackers have put the secretive Kingdom's worsening strains on public view as rarely before. Whether in response to the need to curb Islamic extremism, hold down soaring population growth, combat plummeting personal incomes or eliminate royal corruption, the world is calling on Abdullah — as are many Saudis — to get the country's house in order. Not the least of Sept. 11's fallout: crucial ties with the U.S. dating back six decades have neared the breaking point, with voices on both sides questioning the future of American military facilities in Saudi Arabia.

To outsiders, the pace may seem leisurely — but there's a big rethink going on in the Kingdom, a change marked by a major charm offensive from Prince Abdullah himself. During two days of meetings with Time, which included rare visits to his private office, home and equestrian farm, the Crown Prince repeatedly stressed his alliance with the U.S., acknowledged many of Saudi Arabia's ills and discussed his plans for reform. Last week, he even tossed out an intriguing Middle East peace initiative. "We have gone through shock and denial," explains a Saudi official. "Now we're asking, 'Do we need to change?'"

Many ordinary Saudis agree that Abdullah, unlike most of their princes, realizes the correct answer to that question is yes. To the surprise of many who knew him as the stodgy, longtime commander of the 75,000-strong Saudi Arabian National Guard, he emerged well before Sept. 11 as a rare Saudi leader in advocating internal reform and a more assertive foreign policy. As Abdullah's profile rises, no other prince matches his popularity, which is largely due to the Saudi perception of him as straight-talking and above corruption, especially compared with some of his conspicuously super-rich brothers. Sarah Al Ayed, 29, a Jidda p.r. executive, beams at the mention of Abdullah's name. "We are all looking up to him," she says. Make no mistake, the Crown Prince enjoys his royal perks.

He rides around in a Rolls Royce with 001 number plates or else a customized tour bus with a small living room complete with satellite TV. His ranch is surprisingly modest, but features an expensive collection of some of the world's finest Arabian and thoroughbred horses. His main meal at 7 p.m. sharp is a sumptuous banquet of Arabic and Continental cuisine, these days including rare mushrooms known as desert truffles that grow wild after winter rains.

Saudis nonetheless regard Abdullah as a dedicated, in-touch ruler. Each day he rises around noon, greets visiting dignitaries, emissaries and ordinary citizens until his 7 p.m. lunch, naps until midnight and then puts in another day's work at the office until dawn prayers. Though devout, if he's a zealot about anything it's TV news: his office has a bank of 33 television sets so he can monitor all available satellite channels at once. In contrast to more remote royals, Abdullah has become a populist prince, touring the country and even munching burgers in fast-food restaurants. Says Wyche Fowler, American ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1996 to 2001: "His leadership is essential at this particular time in Saudi history."

Such praise could be taken as a comment on the mess the Kingdom was in when Abdullah gradually began taking over following King Fahd's stroke in 1995. Custom dictated that Abdullah, as heir apparent, take the helm; the King, now 80, still appears for ceremonial functions but is too frail to run the country. During Fahd's 20-year reign, government spending as well as Saudi births soared, while oil revenues declined from $40 a barrel in 1980 to about $20 today. Fighting off Iraq's Saddam Hussein in the Gulf War also set the Kingdom back $60 billion.