Saudi Arabia

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Forgive yourself if you didn't know that Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud spent six days in Washington last week. Apart from Beltway commuters who encountered his 50-car motorcade and a handful of Foggy Bottom specialists, few noticed that Saudi Arabia's virtual ruler had come and gone. The low-profile trip generated scarcely a headline, the way the cautious Saudis prefer it. But this was no ordinary visit. It was the third leg of a monthlong coming-out tour of major world capitals to deliver an important if understated message: after three years of uncertainty in the kingdom, marked by terrorist bombings, plummeting oil prices and the continuing illness of King Fahd, 75, Abdullah is taking charge.

After Fahd's 1995 stroke, the King designated Abdullah as regent, then quickly took back his authority. But while the ailing Fahd officially remains monarch and continues to chair Cabinet meetings when his spirits are up, Abdullah is now running the country's day-to-day affairs, and his succession is unchallenged.

To the surprise of many, he is emerging as a bold and decisive leader, ready to put his stamp on domestic and foreign policies, though he cannot do so without the daily support of Fahd and other senior princes. The result is a change in presentation if not in policy: whereas Fahd has always been cunning and nonconfrontational, Abdullah has built a reputation for bluntness. Says an Arab diplomat in Washington: "Abdullah won't say to an American politician, 'Hey, buddy, let's talk about buying some of your planes,' just to make the guy feel good, with no intention of buying them."

Abdullah is best known at home as a prince of the desert, who has a good handshake, speaks in velvety tones and can be aloof one minute and chuckling the next. Closely resembling the famed founder of modern Saudi Arabia, King Abdul Aziz (generally known as Ibn Saud), he is fond of camel racing and is tolerant toward human frailties. "He will forgive anything but lying," says an intimate. He has a reputation for eschewing the country's endemic corruption; almost alone in the royal household, he forbids his sons to use their connections to profit in business. A devout Muslim, he meets weekly with the religious hierarchy and is popular in the kingdom's Islamic heartland.

If Abdullah's reign endures--and he appears to enjoy excellent health, thanks to sensible eating and regular laps across his palace pool--he may be able to defuse the growing fundamentalist challenge to the Saudi monarchy, in part by expanding political power beyond the royal family. He is a strong supporter of the appointed Consultative Council, created by Fahd in 1993 to introduce limited public debate. In line with his distaste for corruption, Abdullah has initiated fiscal reforms designed to end the dubious dealings and royal patronage that have been a prime focus of the growing popular discontent. Besides cutting allowances provided to the estimated 6,000 Saudi princes, he has banned influential relatives from scooping up lucrative government contracts without competitive bidding.