King Fahd ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Saud (born 1920)--the son of the founder of modern Saudi Arabia--succeeded his brothers Saud, Faisal, and Khalid in guiding a traditional Islamic society through the astonishing economic and social development made possible by his country's vast petroleum resources.

Born in 1920, Fahd ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, son of King Ibn Saud, was educated in Islamic history and religion, traditional politics, Arabic language, and desert lore at his father's court in Riyadh. His mother belonged to the Sudeiri clan, a prominent family, and Fahd was one of the couple's seven sons. King Saud had founded Saudi Arabia in 1932 after a thirty-year effort to unite the vast Arabian peninsula. Oil was discovered a few years later and the treasure beneath Saudi sand made both the ruling family and the new nation extremely wealthy within the space of a few short years.

The Fast Lane

As a...