Ibn Saud grew up living the harsh traditional life of the desert nomad, then during his adolescence in Kuwait, studied the ways of great imperial powers. Thus equipped between 1902 and 1930 he fought and won a series of astonishing military victories over a enemies much more powerful than him, and transformed himself into a revered king and elder statesman, courted by world leaders such as Churchill and Roosevelt. Saudi Arabia, the country he created is a staunch ally of the West but it is also the birthplace of Osama bin Laden and fifteen of the 9/11 hijackers. The question that looms is whether the Kingdom, as it now stands, will survive the vicissitudes of time.