Mohammed bin Salman: a ruthless reformer
De facto leader of Saudi Arabia is rehabilitating his image after years as international ‘pariah’
Mohammed bin Salman is reclaiming his central role on the world stage after four years in the diplomatic wilderness following the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
US intelligence agencies and a UN inquiry concluded that Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler was ultimately responsible for the extrajudicial killing – a verdict that badly damaged his reputation as a reformer in the deeply conservative Middle Eastern country.
But bin Salman, commonly known as MBS, received the ultimate endorsement last month in the form of a visit from US President Joe Biden. And during a subsequent trip to Europe, the crown prince was welcomed by heads of state including France’s Emmanuel Macron and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
How did MBS come to power?
MBS was born on 31 August 1985, the eldest son of then prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and his third wife, Fahda bint Falah Al Hithlain. After graduating in law from King Saud University in Riyadh, MBS began his meteoric rise to power when his father ascended to the throne in 2015.
The new king immediately appointed his eldest son as defence minister, a role that MBS still holds. As defence chief, MBS spearheaded Operation Decisive Storm, a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen against Houthi rebels. He also began “driving a far more aggressive foreign policy to counter the influence of regional rival Iran”, reported Al Jazeera.
MBS shot to international attention in 2017, when he was named crown prince and deputy prime minister, outmanoeuvring his more experienced cousin Mohammed bin Nayef to become heir apparent.
The crown prince “subsequently sought to consolidate his power, launching a crackdown against perceived opponents”, said the BBC. More than 20 influential clerics and intellectuals were detained for allegedly acting on behalf of “foreign parties against the security of the kingdom”.
MBS then further tightened his grip on power by launching a purge of the kingdom's political and business leadership. The broadcaster’s security correspondent Frank Gardner said the “bold, pre-planned” move “removed the final obstacles to his gaining total control over the world’s richest oil producer and home to the holiest shrines in Islam”.
Liberalising reformer or ‘psychopathic killer’?
MBS is “both a liberalising reformer and a fearsome consolidator of power”, said The Economist.
He has overseen the rollout of a series of socio-economic reforms including lifting a 35-year ban on cinemas and allowing women to drive. His domestic agenda has also focused on implementing his so-called Vision 2030, aimed at diversifying the Saudi economy to become less reliant on oil while turning the kingdom into an investment powerhouse.
Former CIA acting director Michael Morell told CBS News last month that the 70% of the Saudi population aged under 30 were “very happy” with their de facto leader. But MBS “is not popular with the old guard, with the royal family, because he changed the system”, Morell said.
The crown prince has also faced widespread criticism further afield. His war in Yemen has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians. And he has cracked down on women’s rights activists, and detained hundreds of potential political rivals under the pretext of countering corruption.
Former top Saudi intelligence official Saad Aljabri told CBS News that MBS was a “psychopath”. The crown prince was a “killer” with “infinite resources” who posed a “threat to his people, to the Americans and to the planet”, Aljabri said.
Why are Western leaders courting him?
MBS “has been a pariah in the West” since the killing of Khashoggi by Saudi agents in the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate in October 2018, said euronews.
Despite the conclusions of the US intelligence agencies, the prince has always denied approving the killing, instead blaming “rogue” Saudi agents.
And as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sends world energy prices soaring, he now appears to have found a route back to favour in the West.
His recent courting by world leaders “signals a remarkable return to the global stage for the kingdom’s de-facto ruler”, said The Guardian. The Ukraine war and energy crisis “have drastically changed leaders’ priorities when dealing with the oil-rich nation, and the young crown prince who leads it”.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - October 13, 2024
Sunday's cartoons - the swing of things, fear of facts, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 timely cartoons about climate change denial
Cartoons Artists take on textbook trouble, bizarre beliefs, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Kris Kristofferson: the free-spirited country music star who studied at Oxford
In the Spotlight The songwriter, singer and film-star has died aged 88
By The Week UK Published
-
Putin's fixation with shamans
Under the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
A brief history of third parties in the US
In Depth Though none of America's third parties have won a presidential election, they have nonetheless had a large impact on the country's politics
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sweden clears final NATO hurdle with Hungary vote
Speed Read Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden's accession to NATO
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Modern royal scandals from around the world
The Explainer From Spain to the UAE, royal families have often been besieged by negative events
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published