Succession in Saudi Arabia

"But he is close to the king and well thought of, says Joseph Kechichian, author of “Succession in Saudi Arabia”. At a function in Riyadh days after the announcement, the prince showed himself to be “dynamic and congenial”, says Mr Kechichian."  This article in the Economist is a totally apologetic account of the House of Saud.  And the only person cited is Joseph who (by his own admission) is close to the sons of Faysal and wrote a rather hagiographic biography of Faysal.   In reality, Prince Muqrin is only noted for his love of nightlife in Beirut, even during the war years, and for his utter incompetence.  After all, it is rare that a son of `Abdul-`Aziz is sacked from his post and Muqrin was for his mismanagement of the Saudi intelligence service and his replacement by a nephew.  That is missing from the article.