At the young age of 36, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman Al Saud, popularly known as MBS was initially Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defense of Saudi Arabia.
Rise And Show Of Power
Prince Muhammad bin Salman was largely unknown in political and diplomatic circles at the start of 2015. Prince Muhammad has been promptly assigned to a variety of important roles since his father’s ascension to the throne in February 2015. He was first made General Secretary of the King’s Court and Defense minister. Prince Muhammad was then handed responsibility for Saudi Aramco by regal edict and appointed chair of the Committee for Economic Affairs. When his father decided to remove Prince Muhammad bin Nayef from all roles in June 2017, he was named the Kingdom’s Head Of State.
His ascent has been rapid and had experienced a meteoric rise. He quickly established his hold on power by utilizing the political acumen and statesmanship he acquired while serving as his father’s apprentice. Prominent members of the royal family were placed under house arrest on corruption charges, silenced them and he strengthened his influence over Saudi Arabia’s security agencies.
Significant Military Issues
The crown prince has dealt with numerous important military challenges that Saudi Arabia is currently embroiled in during his time as Minister of Defense. He most closely associates himself with the airstrikes against Houthi positions in Yemen. Additionally, Saudi Arabia backs the Bahraini dynasty and supplies Syria’s opposition to President Assad with weapons. Geopolitical tensions between the Gulf Cooperation Council’s members and the severing of diplomatic connections with Qatar, which later developed into a full boycott before being lifted in January 2021, were present at the time of his appointment as Heir To the throne.
The Blockade Of Qatar
Critics claim that the popularity of MBS the reformer has deceived the West. They claim that it has hidden MBS the dictator. The person in charge of Qatar’s siege, Yemen’s never-ending conflict, and the savage repression of domestic political dissent. And now apparently in charge of a plot to assassinate a critic and journalist Jamal Khashoggi by luring him to a foreign country’s consulate in Istanbul and ordering a Pegasus Surveillance operation on civil society members. Because MBS promised transformation and a more conservative future, Western leaders were willing to support him as they believe in him whether he is saying the truth or not. They have disregarded the nation’s ongoing savagery and flagrant human rights violations.
Significant Reforms in the Kingdom And Vision 2030
The (re)opening of movie theatres and the carrying of music rock shows, the clampdown on bribery (such as the arrest of royals and public figures), and the recommendation to flog Saudi Aramco, social changes like women no longer had to be fully veiled or abide by strict guardianship rules, could drive cars, men & women can walk around freely without fear of the Mutaween religious police of the committee for the promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice, attend cinemas and rap and hip hop concerts are just a few examples of the major changes the Crown Prince has been credited with bringing about in the Country.
Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman unveiled “Vision 2030,” a thorough, inter strategy for the development of Saudi Arabia, in his capacity as president of the Board of Development and Investment Affairs. The grandiose strategy aims to revive the Saudi economy by making the Kingdom a worldwide investment superpower and weaning the country off of its reliance on oil as the main source of revenue and the dream of a new $500 billion high-tech city project in the desert called NEOM. A “peaceful, prospering, and secure Saudi Arabia that offers an opportunity for all” is one of its other stated goals, along with enhancing public sector efficiency.
Aramco Attack Fallout
MBS allegedly faced more condemnation from the royal family after the biggest-ever attack on the kingdom’s oil infrastructure in September of last year. The incident raised doubts about MBS’s capacity to protect and govern the greatest oil exporter in the world amid multiple significant branches of the ruling Al Saud family, which is made up of roughly 10,000 individuals. 5% of the world’s oil production was originally halted when two Saudi Aramco facilities were attacked on September 14 and set on fire.
The killing of Jamal Khashoggi
On October 2, 2018, a well-known writer and Saudi dissident named Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi was murdered in Istanbul’s Saudi consulate. Khashoggi was driven into banishment from Saudi Arabia in 2017 due to his objections to the country’s autocratic government and international policy. The Saudi government initially denied any involvement in the killing, but they were eventually forced to admit that some of their authorities had been involved. However, they didn’t go further than the CIA, which concluded that Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman had ordered the assassination of Khashoggi.
Apprehension Regarding Future Tyranny Rule
He presided over the greatest mass hanging in Saudi Arabia this year, where 79 people were executed for acts related to “jihad and extremist ideology.” As a result of such impersonal acts, MBS has been accused of violating civil rights within Arabia. Activists have drawn attention to the detention and suspected abuse of dissident novelist Raif Badawi and female activist Loujain Alhathloul, who’ve each been freed now, however, stay below journey restrictions. If Muhammad Bin Salman can exercise such absolute power as Future King at just 40 years old, how more oppression may he likely inflict as King, assuming he seems to have the potential to rule for approximately 50 more years?
