Saudi Prince Plots to Topple Assad

While the White House weighs its options for an intervention in Syria, a veteran power player in Saudi Arabia is pushing a plan to topple the embattled country’s president, Bashar al-Assad. Prince Bandar bin Sultan al-Saud is trying to undermine Assad’s regime by gaining the support of other nations. The Saudi leader has reportedly been traveling from the front lines of Syria to intelligence agencies worldwide with a simple message: my kingdom has the money needed to defeat Assad—and we’re ready to use it. It’s not new territory for the longtime Saudi ambassador, who was once considered to be “one of the most influential deal makers in Washington.”