Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman is one of the most intriguing figures in the Middle East, perhaps in the world. Young, educated, handsome. A man who changed world orders in one of the most religious countries on the globe. He is warmly embraced by the West, became assigned after assassinating a journalist by mobster methods and now – under the auspices of the war in Ukraine – caused the leader of the most powerful power in the world to woo him with no choice. This time in “Another Day”, foreign affairs correspondent Yoav Zehavi and head of the Arab world affairs Roy Keys will try to find out how MBS rose to greatness and became one of the most influential figures in the world.
The Cool Prince Who Changes the Middle East | Listen to the episode in the “Another Day” episode
Ben Salman, born in 1985, is considered one of the young princes of the Saudi royal family. From the beginning of the previous decade he was quietly making his way through positions such as head of the King’s Chamber and Minister of Defense, until the post of regent in 2017, when Muhammad bin Naaf was moved in his favor. Thus, at only 32 years old, Ben Salman was found to have stepped down from the throne, with King Salman, in his 80s, suffering from health problems, thus becoming a much more significant figure in the eyes of the Saudis.
To fortify his rule, a few months after he is appointed, Ben Salman declares war on corruption and he puts about 400 princes and senior government officials under a kind of house arrest at the prestigious Ritz Carlton Hotel. He claims that they are ostentatious and not frugal, and demands that they return the money raised in it, or go to jail. In so doing, he narrowed the steps of those who might have tripped him on the way to the throne.
Already with the rise to power of King Salman, Ben Salman is involved in all moves. It declares war on the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen and also declares a vision for 2030, its grand vision for Saudi Arabia in which it happens to diversify the economy – rely less on oil, and look years ahead and open the country to the West. In the social sense, too, he is pursuing far-reaching reforms, such that until years ago we seemed completely imaginary. In order to integrate as many Saudis as possible into the labor market that relies on foreign workers, Saudi women are suddenly required to go to work and even get additional rights like the repeal of the ban on women driving.
The West is happy with the reforms being made under Ben Salman, but in October 2018 there was a turnaround that changed the whole picture. The Saudi-critical journalist against the regime, Jamal Khashukji, was brutally murdered in Istanbul. This affair tarnishes the name of Ben Salman who is considered a great promise for the West. Luckily, the one who was in the White House at the time was Donald Trump, who had a very good relationship with him.
Until a year ago no Western leader came to Saudi Arabia, with the first to break the strike line being French President Macron, followed by British Prime Minister Johnson. In two weeks, US President Biden will arrive in Riyadh, saying in his election campaign that he would turn Saudi Arabia into a leper because of the Hashukaji assassination case, but now because of rising fuel prices in the shadow of the war in Ukraine, he suddenly needs Ben Salman.
At the same time, Ben Salman is beginning to establish his status as a powerful leader in the Middle East, with a very forceful foreign policy. As mentioned, he has declared war on the Houthi rebels, all as part of his overall struggle against Iran, in which he is trying to strike at all points – Damascus, Beirut, Sanaa and Baghdad.
As for relations with Israel, Ben Salman does not have the great devotion of the older generation to the Palestinian issue. In interviews he gives to the Arab media, he says that Israel is not an enemy and that there is great potential for cooperation between the parties. One can only guess that the Abrahamic agreements could not have taken place without a green light from Saudi Arabia, the important country on the “moderate” Sunni axis. How far can Ben Salman go with Israel? He will probably have to wait for his father not to be on the ground.