rumbles in the desert

Watching Saudi Arabia nerviously. The article below talks about "terrorists" and "militants" interchangeably. Sounds about right. For militants in Saudi, living off the land means sucking at the teat of light sweet crude, so there isn't much margin for error in their resistance.

Thus concerns about a coup and possible disruption of the oil supply are paramount, as a bevy of eighty year old princelings jockey for the throne.

Saudi fears send oil prices soaring
Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office also said there were "credible reports" that militants were planning attacks in the near future. It said British citizens in Saudi should maintain "the highest level" of vigilance.

The new price rise comes less than a week after the death of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia caused concerns that the kingdom could change its oil policy, despite analysts' predictions that there would be little alteration.