Journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared in Istanbul in early October. He was last seen at the Consulate General of Saudi Arabia, where Khashoggi came to complete paperwork. Authorities later confirmed that the columnist was dead.
Former British intelligence chief John Sawyers all points to the murder of an opposition journalist ordered by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.
Photo © AP Photo/Alastair Grant
In total, two versions are being promoted in the world press regarding the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. According to one, the murder was committed on the orders of the second person in the state, Mohammed bin Salman, whom the journalist regularly criticized. According to another, “the death of the correspondent occurred as a result of his conflict with people who were also on the territory of the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.”
One of many
Not so long ago, just three and a half years ago, Mohammed bin Salman was simply one of the Saudi princes in the legendary expansive royal family. He, like many of his uncles and cousins, amused himself by playing business and betting on the stock market, and sometimes succumbed to the temptation to act as a philanthropist.
That all changed when his father, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, inherited the royal throne in January 2015. Muhammad emerged from the shadows and began to actively expand his powers, taking advantage of his position as the favorite son of the current king. Crushing all other relatives-competitors vying for power, and isolating from the world those who did not want to capitulate to it.
Photo © AP Photo/Hassan Ammar
The sonorous reformist speeches of the prince, who did not skimp on criticism of the order in the country, portrayed the prospects for Saudi Arabia to transform into a peninsula of real democracy within just a few months. Not only some segments of the country's population, but also Western leaders bought into Muhammad's reformist words.
The road to a father's heart
Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud was born in 1985, becoming the first child of Salman Sr.'s third and last wife, Fahda. The path to the throne for him was blocked by his brothers who were born earlier. But the road to the pope’s heart turned out to be clear, and Muhammad managed to pass it faster than others. However, there was a counter-movement here: among other equals, Salman, for a reason known only to him, chose Muhammad.
He was 12 years old when his father, then the head of the capital province, began taking him with him to meetings with businessmen and politicians. According to the official biography of Muhammad, at school he stood out for his intellect and was among the ten best graduates in the kingdom in the year of graduation.
Unlike many princes who went abroad for higher education, Muhammad chose to stay in Riyadh next to his father. He graduated from the Faculty of Law at King Saud University with second place in his course. They say he never smoked, drank alcohol and did not like to party. He took his first steps in business in real estate and the stock exchange. After which he showed philanthropic inclinations, allocating subsidies from his own MiSK foundation to support young entrepreneurs. This did not go unnoticed by the regional publication Forbes, which awarded the prince with its prize in 2013.
And to the pinnacle of power
Upon ascending the throne on January 23, 2015, Salman appointed his beloved son Secretary General of the State Court and Minister of Defense - at 29 years old, he became the youngest head of the Defense Ministry in the country's history. On January 29, Mohammed bin Salman also became the head of the State Council for Economic Affairs and Development. The Council, it must be said, was created by Muhammad himself. On the same day. Instead of the Supreme Economic Council, which he himself abolished.
Muhammad, whom those around him began to call MBS for short, actively began to demonstrate his ambitions. True, the results of the military campaign he launched in Yemen against the Houthis turned out to be catastrophic, but not so much that the new Saudi authority became despondent. This was followed by a boycott of Qatar, an announcement of economic transformation “in order to reduce the country’s dependence on oil in the future,” and the proclamation of Saudi Arabia’s policy of abandoning radical Islam.
Foreign investors and young Saudis were delighted with the fresh air of change flowing into the country.
Sources claim that Mohammed's vigorous activity very soon caused discontent and ferment within the family: King Salman's nephew, 57-year-old Mohammed ibn Nayef, appointed crown prince in 2015, distributed a letter in which he criticized MBS for his arrogance and warned about what he was preparing palace coup. Despite the fact that Naif had intelligence and the Ministry of Internal Affairs at his disposal, the young rival managed to “shoot” first, depriving his older competitor of all portfolios in June 2017 and taking the post of crown prince.
On November 4, 2017, MBS became the head of the specially created Anti-Corruption Committee. Another episode that the West liked, where the fight against corruption, although not bringing the desired results, is on trend. On the same day, 11 princes (four of them were former ministers) and several dozen of the richest people in the kingdom were arrested. On suspicion of involvement in corruption.
Monster made in USA and the smart paranoid
Photo © AP Photo/Francois Mori
Bin Salman is a monster created by the USA. The Trump administration's support, especially his dealings with the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner, has been a critical factor in his advancement, said Adam Coogle, a watchdog at Human Rights Watch. - Before this, Mohammed ibn Nayef, respected by security services and the US military for his actions in the fight against terrorism, was considered Washington's man. Now these same services saw with caution the growth of the young and thoughtless prince. The news that Ibn Nayef was placed under house arrest shocked many in Washington and was seen as an insult.
David Ottaway of the American think tank Wilson also noted that the Khashoggi scandal has destroyed the image of a reformer carefully created by Mohammed bin Salman.
The Khashoggi scandal has undermined Mohammed bin Salman's image as a reformer previously praised by Western governments. His decisions to limit the power of the religious police, open cinemas and concert halls, and allow women to drive suddenly turned out to be child's play, designed to slightly retouch the ominous image of a tyrant who considers himself so above the laws that he can order the murder of a journalist who criticized him right in the consulate, he writes. David Ottaway of the Wilson Center of America.
Photo © AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Western politicians are very cautious in assessing the murder of an Arab journalist. On the one hand, “highly liked” makes it clear who the customer is. But on the other side stands Trump, who, under pressure from the public and the facts, although he admits that “there are a lot of unknowns in the case,” does not want to directly condemn MBS.
The French Foreign Minister vaguely says that “many questions remain unanswered” and “we need to carefully and comprehensively understand this matter.” And in a joint statement by the German Chancellor and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic, with restrained indignation, they reported on “the insufficiency of information provided by Riyadh” and “the possibility of suspending arms supplies to Saudi Arabia while the investigation into the death of the journalist is underway.” Europe and US NATO comrades are unlikely to act contrary to Trump.
In the permanent crisis in the Middle East, one of the key issues is the issue of power in Saudi Arabia, the most important and richest country in the region. The change of heir in the kingdom that took place a month ago remains the focus of attention of all world powers - and there is evidence that the question of power was resolved quite harshly.
A month ago, June 21, the King of Saudi Arabia Salman replaced the heir to the throne - instead of his nephew Mohammed bin Nayef he became the king's son Mohammed bin Salman.
The 31-year-old prince throughout the reign of his 81-year-old father (that is, the last 2.5 years) was the de facto ruler of the kingdom - while holding the posts of deputy heir and minister of defense. But, having become the first heir, Muhammad, in fact, legalized his position. Now he can become head of state at any time.
At the same time, although Saudi Arabia is one of the few absolute monarchies, for career growth Muhammad the consent of the entire family was required. More precisely, at least the so-called Council of the Oath, an advisory body under the king, which includes the children and some of the grandchildren of the founder of the kingdom Abdul-Aziza. According to unofficial data, 31 of the 34 council members voted for the prince, while Saudi television showed the former heir swearing allegiance to the new one. That is, the transfer of power seemed to take place calmly. But, as it now turns out, there has essentially been an internal coup—or so the losers and their American allies want to portray the situation.
As the New York Times wrote today, Mohammed bin Nayef was forced to renounce the succession to the king's son under pressure. The newspaper reveals some details of what happened, noting that the concentration of power in the hands of Mohammed bin Salman“jeopardizes the security relationship with the United States” – that is, it gives a clear signal of dissatisfaction with what happened. It should be noted that the change of heir occurred a month after the visit Donald Trump to Saudi Arabia and two weeks after the start of the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Here's how the New York Times describes the change of power - citing unnamed US officials and Saudis close to the royal family. Although according to the official version, the resignation of the 57-year-old Mohammed bin Nayef was caused by health problems (and they really exist - diabetes plus a strong dependence on painkillers), in reality he was forced to renounce.
Around midnight, the prince was brought to the palace under the pretext of meeting the king. However, he was taken to another room, where representatives of the royal court took away his phones and began to force him to renounce the title of crown prince and the post of interior minister. At first he refused, but closer to the morning he gave in and accepted these conditions. Representatives of the royal court immediately convened members of the Oath Council, the main advisory body of the Saudi royal family responsible for changes in the line of succession to the throne. The council, which, according to NYT statements, is afraid of going against the will of the king, decided to transfer the title of crown prince to Mohammed bin Salman. After this, bin Nayef swore allegiance to the new prince and went to his palace, from where he was forbidden to leave.
If this version is close to the truth, it could mean growing tension in the royal family - which includes several clans that collectively number thousands of princes. And it's really dangerous.
Why are dynastic issues in Saudi Arabia so important to the rest of the world? Because a lot in the Middle East - and therefore throughout the world - depends on what future awaits this kingdom. If, with the inevitable change of power in the foreseeable future, Saudi Arabia begins to storm, if part of the royal family does not recognize the new king, then the kingdom may plunge into the chaos of a civil war or completely disintegrate. And problems have arisen more than once with the transfer of power in Riyadh - and the next change of monarch will in any case be non-standard.
The first king of the united kingdom was Abdul Aziz ibn Saud- founder of the dynasty and the country itself. He gathered the principalities of the peninsula. Starting with the capture of the capital of Naja, Riyadh, in 1902, he captured the entire peninsula in subsequent decades, expelling him from the Hijaz in 1926 (on the territory of which the main Muslim shrines, Mecca and Medina, are located). Hashemites, descendants of the prophet himself Muhammad, one of the most respected dynasties in the Islamic world. Children of the exiled king Hussein became kings of neighboring Jordan and Iraq - and ibn Saud united in 1932 all occupied territories under his own name: Saudi Arabia.
The British helped them in this - and the rulers of neighboring tribes and states (not only Jordan and Iraq, but also Yemen, Oman and others), naturally, had many grievances against the family, which proclaimed itself “the guardian of the two shrines.” If in the 30s Abdul Aziz maintained good relations with Moscow, then in the 40s everything was determined - the kingdom became the main ally of the United States in the Middle East.
By the time of the death of the founding father in 1953, the USSR had practically no position in the region. But starting in 1956, Moscow began the big Middle East game. Our allies were the growing Arab nationalist socialists - they overthrew the monarchies in Egypt and Iraq, took power in Syria and Yemen. They were not Soviet puppets - but for the Saudis, at the instigation of the Americans, Moscow became the embodiment of evil, the enemy of Islam and their throne. And the geopolitical rivalry in the region between the USA and the USSR made Saudi Arabia our enemy - there were no relations between our countries.
Power in the kingdom passed to the children Abdul Aziz, and they still rule there. All six kings are his sons. But the years have taken their toll - out of 45 legitimate sons (from 12 wives), only 10 are now alive. The eldest, Bandaru, 94 years old, youngest, Mukrin, 71. And the 81-year-old has ruled since 2015 Salman.
No one knows how much longer he will be given, but of his five brothers-predecessors, two were eliminated. First, in 1964, he overthrew his father's successor Sauda, and 11 years later they killed his successor Faisal(he was shot by one of his nephews). However, starting with the death in 1982 of the king Khalid the transfer of power occurs peacefully - although the kings changed only three times. Khalid replaced Fahd, who ruled for a long time, but most of the time formally. By the time of his death in 2005, all powers had long been in the hands of the crown prince Abdullah, who became king.
Since Abdullah and essentially Saudi-Russian relations were resumed. Came to visit him in 2007 Putin- and this was the first and so far the only summit meeting held on the territory of one of our countries (all others took place at various international forums - for example, in New York, where in 2015 Putin met with Salman).
During his ten-year reign Abdullah he had three heirs - first the prince Sultan(he probably holds the world record for the longest tenure as Minister of Defense - he served for 49 years), after his death in 2011, the chair passed to his brother Naifa, well, after his death in 2012 - to the prince Salman. Who became king in 2015.
What was fundamentally important: all three heirs were half-brothers. Sultan, Naif And Salman belonged to the "seven" Sudairi" – to children Abdul Aziz from Hassy bin Ahmad as Sudairi. Although she was the eighth wife of the founder of the dynasty, she belonged to a very respected family in Nej, from which, among other things, came the mother of the dynasty. Abdul-Aziza. Thus the clan Sudairi became the most powerful member of the huge royal family - and his influence began to grow in 1982, when the eldest of seven brothers became king. Well, then three more succeeded each other as heirs to the successor Fahd Abdullah, Bye Salman did not sit on the throne.
Becoming king Salman did not immediately begin to break the tradition - after all, several of his half-brothers still remain alive, and the very fact of the transfer of power from the generation of children to the generation of grandchildren was expected with alarm by everyone. Therefore, at first he made the prince his heir Mukrina, brother of the late king Abdullah, and his deputy is the prince Mohammed bin Nayef, his nephew (son of his late brother, from the seven Sudairi).
But after a couple of months Mukrin renounced, 57 year old bin Naif became the heir, and a 29-year-old man was appointed as his deputy Mohammed bin Sultan, that is, the son of the king. Thus, all the first three posts in the kingdom ended up in the hands of the “Sudairi clan”, that is, power in any case would have remained in the family. But, as the events of last month showed, they decided to clear the way for the younger prince in advance.
Having become the official heir, Mohammed bin Salman it seems that he absolutely guaranteed himself the royal throne after the death of his father. But in fact, he has several problems both internally and externally.
It is clear that powerful clans outside the "family" Sudairi"We are not too happy with such a concentration of power in the hands of one clan, and also in one, young and inexperienced prince. But assessing the chances of a rebellion or coup in Saudi Arabia is little more rewarding than guessing about the position of a peer Muhammad, ruler of North Korea Kim Jong-un– Although there is more information about the balance of power, no one has accurate information.
In addition, the prince has shown himself to be a very energetic ruler - he is involved in both domestic and foreign policy, and is preparing serious reforms in the life of the 30 million-strong kingdom. He, however, is considered responsible for all the failures of recent years - from the war in Yemen, now in its third year, to the failure in Syria, from the worsening relations with Iran to the recent conflict with Qatar, in which the Saudis will clearly have to back down.
And although exactly Muhammad was a key figure in negotiations with Trump, not everyone in the USA is happy with it. Maybe they don’t like a player who is too independent and strong, maybe it’s also due to dissatisfaction with the weakening of clans that are more closely tied to Washington. Perhaps the general anxiety of the United States about the loss of its positions in the Middle East is also affecting it. But here's what the New York Times writes when talking about the change of heir:
"Ben Naif opposed Saudi Arabia's military intervention in Yemen, as well as the economic embargo against Qatar, which he actively lobbied for bin Salman. At the same time, the old prince, unlike the new one, was not particularly popular among the people, but had broad support from the United States and other Western and Arab countries. In the United States, there are concerns about the large concentration of power in Mohammed bin Salman. In addition, resignation bin Naifa could negatively affect the security relationship between Washington and Riyadh. In particular, the CIA is concerned that this could undermine intelligence sharing between the two countries."
All this is very similar to dissatisfaction with precisely what Mohammed bin Salman there is no leverage - something the United States has not been accustomed to in its 70 years of relations with the Saudis.
However, sparks have been sparking between Washington and Riyadh for a long time. In 2013, Saudi Arabia even pointedly refused a seat on the UN Security Council, thereby expressing its dissatisfaction with US policies on Syria and Iran. Riyadh did not like either the then-prepared nuclear deal or the refusal Obama from the promised strike on Syria. The Saudis began to become disillusioned with their strategic partner, but due to fear of Iran and the war in Syria, they could not decide on their strategy in the region.
Riyadh wants to be in charge, but understands that it does not have the strength to do so. He wants to build an independent policy, but understands that militarily he is completely dependent on the United States.
Prince Muhammad is groping for a path that will lead the kingdom into the future, will preserve its unity and claims to the role of the main country in the Arab world, and so far it has made many mistakes along the way. But he is looking - in two years the prince has already come to Russia four times, the last meeting with Putin passed less than two months ago. Now he needs to organize a visit to Moscow for his father - the trip has been postponed since the fall of 2015 (but then the start of our operation in Syria interfered), and it is already indecent to delay it any longer.
At the end of June, the Arab press wrote that the visit could take place in the second decade of July - but that has already passed, and no announcements have been made either in Moscow or Riyadh. But events are developing rapidly, and the Saudis need not to accumulate problems with their neighbors, but to solve them. Moscow can provide considerable assistance in this matter.
Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense (the youngest defense minister in the world), Chairman of the Board of the Mohammed bin Salman Charitable Foundation (MiSK), Head of the Royal Court, Chairman of the Council for Economic Affairs and National Development.
Place of Birth. Education. Mohammed bin Salman was born on August 31, 1985 in Jeddah. He is the son of King Salman and his third wife Fahd bint Falah bin Sultan Al Hitlayan. His brother is Turki bin Salman, chairman of the Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG). The prince received a bachelor's degree in law from King Saud University.
After graduating from college, the prince spent several years in the private sector before becoming his father's personal assistant. Before this, he had already taken a post in the commission of experts of the Saudi cabinet.
Political career. On December 15, 2009, the prince began political activity, taking the post of special adviser to his father. He then took over as governor of the province of Riyadh. He also became Secretary General of the Riyadh Competition Council, Special Advisor to the Research and Archives Office of the King Abdul Aziz Foundation, and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Albir Society in the Riyadh region.
In October 2011, following the death of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Prince Salman took over as Deputy Crown Prince and Minister of Defense in November 2011. He appointed Prince Mohammed as his personal advisor.
In June 2012, Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud died. Prince Salman moved up two positions in the hierarchy and soon decided to give the court a new look by appointing Prince Mohammed as head of the crown prince's office.
On March 2, 2013, the head of the Crown Prince's Court, Saud bin Nayef, was appointed governor of the Eastern Province and Prince Mohammed took over his post, receiving the rank of minister. On April 25, the prince was appointed to the post of Minister of State. The prince is the author of the Vision 2030 reforms, the result of which should be the differentiation of the economy and the cessation of dependence of financial revenues to the budget on oil exports.
On January 23, 2015, King Abdullah died and Prince Salman took the throne. After this, Prince Mohammed was appointed to the post of Minister of Defense and on the same day to the post of Secretary General of the Royal Court. In addition, he retained the post of Minister of State.
On January 29, 2015, Prince Mohammed was appointed chairman of the Economic Affairs and Development Council, which was founded on the same day and replaced the abolished Supreme Economic Council.
The main event of his tenure as Defense Secretary was Operation Storm of Determination against the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
In April 2015, King Salman appointed his nephew Prince Mohammed bin Nayef as crown prince and his son Prince Mohammed bin Salman as deputy crown prince.
On June 21, 2017, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef was removed from his post as Crown Prince and Minister of Interior of Saudi Arabia. He was replaced as prince by Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, son of King Salman, whose candidacy was elected by 31 of the 34 members of the Allegiance Council.
On November 4, 2017, he was appointed head of the specially created Anti-Corruption Committee, and on the same day a series of arrests of eleven princes (including one of the richest people in the world, Al-Walid ibn Talal) and several former ministers were made.
Charity. Prince Muhammad founded the Prince Muhammad bin Salman Foundation (MISK), whose goal is to help needy youth, and became its chairman.
Family. He is married to Princess Sarah bint Mashhour ibn Abdalaziz Al Saud and has four children with her: Prince Salman, Prince Mashhour, Princess Fahd and Princess Noura.
RIYADH/CAIRO, June 21 - RIA Novosti, Rafael Daminov. Thursday marks exactly one year since the appointment of Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud as heir to the Saudi throne. During this period, the 32-year-old prince, who actually already ruled the kingdom, became one of the most influential people in the world according to Forbes magazine, and his subjects say that during this time he accomplished what others would have needed many years to achieve.
Saudi Thaw
Huge shopping complexes with their numerous boutiques and cafes are a favorite place for walking for residents of Riyadh and foreigners working here. A few years ago, a distinctive feature of such hypermarkets was the presence of mutawwa - religious police. “Guardians of morality” - men dressed in traditional Saudi costume with long beards peered vigilantly at visitors, forcing women wrapped in identical black abayas to straighten a scarf that had slipped to the side or a Pakistani seller to rush to close a shop during the call to prayer. Today, the mutawwa have virtually disappeared from public spaces in the kingdom. They were prohibited from patrolling shopping centers and city streets. Women's clothes suddenly became full of all the colors of the rainbow, and some stopped covering their heads altogether, mostly foreigners.
Sharp relaxations in the public sphere of the once most conservative kingdom began after King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud came to power in the country in 2015 and appointed his 31-year-old son, Mohammed bin Salman, as heir to the throne.
Mohammed bin Salman, who in the kingdom is called MBS for short in the American way, having become the heir, adopted an ambitious strategic development plan - Vision 2030 - to radically transform the kingdom. Reforms will concern both the economic and public spheres. The ambitious prince intends to sharply reduce the country's economy's dependence on oil and develop the private sector. In public life, he plans to make the kingdom more open and progressive, without abandoning the traditional values of Saudi society.
A few months ago, cinemas opened in the country for the first time in 40 years, and it is expected that Saudi Arabia will soon have its own theater. The social status of women is also changing. For the first time in history, they were allowed to drive a car, attend sporting events and serve in the military. 107 thousand representatives of the fair sex have already submitted applications for the service.
The ongoing reforms instantly made the young politician the most popular person in the country, especially among Saudi youth.
“We in Saudi Arabia called him the “Prince of Youth”, with him we associate the fulfillment of our hopes. We believe that in one year of work, the Crown Prince has done what is usually done for many years. He has achieved unprecedented success both domestically and abroad “He gives us confidence in the future,” Riyadh journalist Muhammad Bahiti told RIA Novosti.
The crown prince's reforms even affected such a sensitive area for Saudi Arabia as religion. The heir announced the need to return to moderate Islam and intolerance towards extremist ideas. A number of sheikhs popular among the conservative part of the population who did not heed bin Salman’s signals immediately found themselves behind bars.
“Now he has tamed the official religious Wahhabi institution - the Committee of Major Scientists, demanding that they reconsider at least many approaches, if not the very foundations themselves,” Abdel Bari Atuan, editor-in-chief of the inter-Arab publication Ar-Rai Al-Yaum, told RIA Novosti.
Fourth Saudi State
In Saudi Arabia, they notice that the current heir to the throne is very similar to his grandfather, the founder of Saudi Arabia, the legendary Abdul Aziz Al Saud. He is just as tall, large-built and stately. According to the will of the founding father, power in the House of Saud was to be inherited by his sons, and only after their death by his grandchildren. It was only by great coincidence that Prince Mohammed bin Salman turned out to be the main contender for the Saudi throne. For this to happen, over the course of several years, two elderly crown princes in Saudi Arabia had to die one after another - Sultan and Nayef, King Abdullah, his father Salman had to become monarch, and, in the end, two other heirs to the throne were dismissed — Muqrin and Mohammed bin Nayef.
A number of experts associate the high-profile corruption cases against influential princes, statesmen and businessmen in November last year with the young prince’s preventive elimination of his potential competitors.
According to Abdel Bari Atuan, after the corruption campaign and the discrediting of potential opponents, the chances of an opposition emerging are extremely low.
However, he believes, despite the mute opposition of disgruntled elites, the actions of the crown prince, which he explains as necessary for carrying out economic and social reforms, can be supported by the majority of the kingdom's population
“These measures are positively assessed among the country’s youth, and here we must take into account that 70% of the population of Saudi Arabia is under 30 years of age. But in the religious sphere, both among the official and unofficial clergy, everything is not so. There are great disagreements around these issues,” Abdel Bari Atuan said.
The publicist, who has repeatedly conducted exclusive interviews with Saudi monarchs, considers the events taking place in the kingdom to be a real revolution, affecting all spheres of life of the patriarchal state.
“Saudi Arabia is no longer the same as we knew. Now we are observing a new period in its history - the period of Mohammed bin Salman. We are on the threshold of the Fourth Saudi State, which will be fundamentally different from the three previous kingdoms,” the publicist believes.
Well understood the changes in the world
According to experts, it is impossible to unequivocally assess the activities of the “young crown prince” in foreign policy. According to Nourhan al-Sheikh, a professor of political science at the Faculty of Economics and Politics at Cairo University, Mohammed bin Salman has smoothed out differences and revived relations between Moscow and Riyadh, which had stalled due to the civil conflict in Syria. Also, with his active support, agreements were reached to reduce oil production. According to the political scientist, “this is a different, pragmatic style of communication between Russia and Saudi Arabia.”
“He (Mohammed bin Salman) well understood the changes taking place in the international arena. That the United States is no longer the only force. Although Washington will continue to remain Riyadh’s most important strategic partner, the kingdom will build strong cooperation with the Russian Federation,” the professor noted.
One of the negative aspects of the foreign policy of the Saudi heir, in her opinion, is the war in Yemen, which Saudi Arabia is waging on the side of the president of that country, Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Riyadh believes that the Shiite rebels from the Ansar Allah movement, who captured the country's capital Sanaa and other major cities, are supported by Iran and threaten the security of the kingdom.
"He was the 'engineer' of this war and did not think through its consequences well. Statements that were made at the very beginning of the Yemeni campaign said that this was a lightning war that would take a month or two. They did not take into account the character of the Yemenis, who at their core are warriors,” said Nourhan al-Sheikh.
Bin Salman is a hard-liner against the kingdom's main opponent in the region, Iran. Recently, while in the United States, in an interview with journalists, he warned about the possibility of a military conflict with this country in 10-15 years, calling on the international community for new sanctions against Tehran in order to avoid military confrontation in the region.
Another loud statement he made during his trip to the United States concerned Israel. In it, he mentioned a large number of common interests with Tel Aviv and an interest in establishing peace with it. He also noted that "Palestinians and Israelis have a right to their own land."
Whatever numerous experts may say about the impulsive character of the Saudi crown prince and his youth to solve big state problems, almost all of them are convinced of one thing - this man will have to determine the fate of one of the most influential countries in the Middle East for many years.
This weekend, mass arrests of members of the royal family and people associated with it took place in Saudi Arabia. Among the corruption suspects was Prince Al-Waleed, who tried to establish ties with Russia
Al-Waleed (Photo: Philippe Wojazer/Reuters)
“They put personal interests above public interests”
On the evening of November 4, the King of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, issued a decree to combat corruption and stated that he intends to completely put an end to abuses in the country's power structures. As the monarch explained, in the highest government circles there were people “who put their personal interests above public interests” in order to illegally enrich themselves.
Shortly after this, the Al Arabiya TV channel reported mass arrests: 11 members of the royal family of Saudi Arabia, four current and “dozens” of former ministers were suspected of corruption. Among them are Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the former head of the Ministry of National Guard, Prince Mitab bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. What exactly the representatives of the Saudi dynasty did is not explained. However, Bloomberg reported that Al-Waleed, in particular, was detained at his camp in the desert.
On Monday, November 6, a senior Saudi official said. Billionaire Al-Walid is suspected of money laundering, bribery and extortion from officials. Prince Mitab bin Abdullah is accused of embezzlement, hiring dead souls, transferring government contracts to his own companies, including a $10 billion deal for the supply of walkie-talkies and body armor. Former Finance Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf is accused of embezzling funds during the expansion of the Great Mosque of Mecca. In addition, he is suspected of using his official position and confidential information when carrying out land transactions. The ex-governor of Riyadh, Prince Turki ibn Abdullah, according to the authorities, also provided contracts to his own companies, and also committed abuses during the construction of the metro.
Prince vs Prince
Against the backdrop of fragmentary data from Saudi Arabia, different versions have emerged about what goal the 81-year-old monarch was pursuing. As reported by Bloomberg, the detentions only strengthened rumors that King Salman was thereby clearing the way to the throne for his 32-year-old son, Mohammed bin Salman Al-Saud. It was his supporter Khaled Ayyaf who replaced Mitab as head of the Ministry of the National Guard. The agency's interlocutors pointed to the fact that in recent months, responsible positions were occupied by people from the crown prince's entourage, and Mitab had difficulty maintaining his position.
Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (Photo: Yuri Kochetkov/EPA)
Middle East expert Hani Sabra told Bloomberg that the crown prince's rise had previously caused resentment among many influential Saudis. Now that Khaled Ayyaf has headed the department, which was considered a stronghold of the clan of the former King Abdullah, it is almost impossible to predict the reaction within the royal family.
Experts were very surprised by the detention of Al-Walid, who had repeatedly expressed his loyalty to both King Salman and his son. For example, in September, a huge portrait of the monarch was displayed on the Alwaleed Kingdom Tower skyscraper in honor of the national holiday. However, Market Watch indicates that the prince may have been remembered by his relatives. If Al-Walid himself did not claim a leading role in governing the state, then his father Talal bin Abdul Aziz actively opposed the promotion of Prince Mohammed. The publication's sources associate the rapid purge within the ruling dynasty with Salman's allegedly made decision to retire at the end of this year or the beginning of next year.
Facing Iran and back to Trump
Al-Walid's detention raised eyebrows among his business partners. According to The New York Times, it was no coincidence that he was called the Warren Buffett of the Middle East. Forbes estimates Prince Alwaleed's fortune at $18 billion, which puts him 45th in the ranking of the world's richest people. He owns a 95% stake in Kingdom Holding and is the largest shareholder of one of the international financial conglomerates Citigroup (more than 6% of shares). He also owns shares in companies such as Four Seasons (together with Bill Gates they own 95% of the shares), Twitter, 21st Century Fox, Disney. He also owns the George V Hotel in Paris and the Plaza Hotel in New York.
As The New York Times points out, the prince's arrest was carried out against the backdrop of strengthening friendship between Prince Mohammed and American President Donald Trump. Al-Waleed, despite the difficult relations between Riyadh and Tehran, was planning to invest in the Iranian economy several years ago and abandoned this idea due to the hard position of King Salman. Mohammed, in his views on Tehran, does not contradict Trump in any way.
Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud and Donald Trump (Photo: Mandel Morgan/EPA)
It is worth noting that Trump’s relationship with Al-Walid did not work out. Even during the election campaign in the United States, businessmen exchanged barbs. The prince named the Republican candidate "