Not since the reign of the country’s founder, Abdulaziz Al Saud, has so much power been concentrated in one man’s hands in Saudi Arabia. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman isn’t king, yet. But the 36-year-old royal essentially runs the country for his father, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, who is 86. The prince leapfrogged a generation of older uncles and cousins to become heir to the throne in one of the world’s last remaining absolute monarchies. He’s overseen changes that have shaken the kingdom to its core, loosening the religious restrictions that shaped the conservative Islamic society for decades. He’s also attempted to reduce the crude exporter’s dependence on oil and redefine its place in the world -- pushing for development in new sectors like tourism -- while increasing political repression. His supporters say his bold ambition and iron fist is what’s needed to salvage an unsustainable economy. His critics say he’s dictatorial, power-hungry and reckless.
The Situation
When Joe Biden took office as US president in 2021, after calling Saudi Arabia a “pariah” during his campaign, he avoided dealing with Prince Mohammed, often dubbed MBS. The insistence by Biden’s administration that the president would only engage with his “counterpart,” King Salman, was perceived as insulting and counterproductive in Saudi Arabia, particularly given MBS’s all-encompassing role and the strong probability that he’ll eventually become king. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, rising oil prices have made gas more expensive at the pump, and put Biden under pressure to bring down inflation -- and to repair ties with Saudi Arabia, a swing producer that can ramp oil exports up or down. Saudi commentators have crowed at this turn of events, painting Saudi Arabia as an ascendant world power and mocking the US as an empire in decline. Any decision for Biden to speak to the prince is complicated by deep anti-Saudi sentiment in the US -- and by a US intelligence assessment that concluded MBS had likely approved an operation to capture or kill Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. A Saudi citizen who was critical of MBS’s government, Khashoggi was murdered by Saudi agents at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul in 2018. MBS has denied any involvement while accepting symbolic responsibility as the kingdom’s de facto ruler.
When Joe Biden took office as US president in 2021, after calling Saudi Arabia a “pariah” during his campaign, he avoided dealing with Prince Mohammed, often dubbed MBS. The insistence by Biden’s administration that the president would only engage with his “counterpart,” King Salman, was perceived as insulting and counterproductive in Saudi Arabia, particularly given MBS’s all-encompassing role and the strong probability that he’ll eventually become king. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, rising oil prices have made gas more expensive at the pump, and put Biden under pressure to bring down inflation -- and to repair ties with Saudi Arabia, a swing producer that can ramp oil exports up or down. Saudi commentators have crowed at this turn of events, painting Saudi Arabia as an ascendant world power and mocking the US as an empire in decline. Any decision for Biden to speak to the prince is complicated by deep anti-Saudi sentiment in the US -- and by a US intelligence assessment that concluded MBS had likely approved an operation to capture or kill Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. A Saudi citizen who was critical of MBS’s government, Khashoggi was murdered by Saudi agents at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul in 2018. MBS has denied any involvement while accepting symbolic responsibility as the kingdom’s de facto ruler.
