Mohammed bin Salman, strongman in the making

Mohammed bin Salman, strongman in the making:

"Mohammed bin Salman has been officially welcomed in London with all the trappings of a state visit. He has been treated to lunch with the Queen, and hosted at Chequers, the prime minister’s retreat. Saudi Arabia’s 32-year-old crown prince has yet to ascend to the throne, but the UK government’s message is unambiguous: this is a man to do business with. Yet there is a sense that, in its hunger for commercial opportunity outside Europe, Theresa May’s government is looking at future ties with the kingdom through the lens of the past. US president Donald Trump fell into the same trap, declaring $110bn in deals last year in Riyadh. Little of that has materialised to date. The days when Saudi Arabia could lavish billions buying weapons they did not need in return for security they do need are over. It is presumably for that reason that the young crown prince known as MbS has approached reforming the Saudi economy with an urgency uncharacteristic of his predecessors. The kingdom can no longer afford to buy public acquiescence with cradle-to-grave benefits. The population is growing and oil revenues are on the slide."



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