(Image Source: Middle East Online)

BY RUISHA QIAN

Saudi Arabia has chosen its new crown prince and heir to the Saudi throne. Euronews reports...

“The next in line to the throne in Saudi Arabia has been named as Interior Minister Prince Nayef. It follows the death of the previous heir, Prince Sultan, Nayef's brother, who died a week ago. Nayef is more conservative than the current king and is believed to have close ties to the Saudi religious establishment.”

Nayef was appointed by King Adbullah and approved by the Allegiance Council, a 37-member body composed of his brothers and cousins. His appointment worries more liberal Saudis. The Financial Times says...

“Prince Naif is known for his close ties with the austere religious establishment, conservative views on women, and intolerance to any hint of political dissent...  As interior minister since 1975, he helped quell two major challenges to the Saudi royal family: the siege of Mecca by Saudi extremists in 1979 and a campaign of terrorism waged by al-Qaeda affiliates from 2003 until 2006.”

But the prince’s personal politics might not have as big an impact as liberals fear. A Saudi expert told the media line, it’s unlikely Nayef will stop the country’s modernization reforms.

“No king is going to step very far out of existing policy lines. No king since Feisal has had the kind of stature to [change] the direction of policy and I don’t think Nayef has that either. He will be more in the style of consensus kings.”

Because of the kingdom’s importance in both oil and counterterrorism, the U.S. government keeps a close eye on the country in the hopes of keeping it stable. Saudi Arabia has been more or less immune to the Arab Spring, but a writer for the Daily Beast says the appointment of a new prince has officials on edge.

“The Arab Spring has shown that even the most authoritarian leaders can lose their hold over a country ... and administration officials are watching events in Riyadh closely and hoping that the transition from one prince to the next will occur just as it has in the past -- in an orderly manner.”

Prince Nayef is 78 years old. The current king, King Abdullah, is believed to be 87.