Profile: Saudi Arabia's new crown prince
Mohammed bin Salman is also the kingdom's deputy prime minister
In a major reshuffle announced early on Wednesday, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud was named crown prince of Saudi Arabia by his father King Salman. A royal decree removed former Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, a 57-year-old nephew of the king, as next-in-line to the throne. The newly announced Crown Prince was also named deputy prime minister and is to maintain his post as the defence minister. Meanwhile, the former crown prince was removed from his post as interior minister.
The youngest defence minister in the world, the first in line to the throne and the deputy prime minister of Saudi Arabia, 32-year old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud has played a major role in Saudi Arabia’s political scenario.
Early Life
Mohammed bin Salman was born on August 31, 1985. His mother, Princess Fahda bint Falah bin Sultan bin Hathleen, is from the Ajman tribe, whose leader is the princess grandfather, Rakan bin Hithalayn. Princess Fahda is the third spouse of King Salman. Mohammed bin Salman is the eldest of his full siblings.
In 2008, Mohammad bin Salman married Princess Sarah bint Mashhoor bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. They have three children together.
Career and political life
Mohammed has a bachelor’s degree in law from King Saud University where he was ranked second in his class. After graduating from college, he spent several years in the private sector before entering politics. In 2009, Salman was made special advisor to this father when the latter was the governor of Riyadh and thus began the political career of Mohammed Bin Salman which would eventually lead him to be the crown prince of the kingdom. Throughout the course of years, Mohammed bin Salman served as secretary-general of the Riyadh Competitive Council, special advisor to the chairman of the board for the King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives, and a member of the board of trustees for Albir Society in the Riyadh region. He was also president of his father s Royal Court, back when King Salman was crown prince.
While Mohammed bin Salman enjoys a lavish lifestyle, he is also a philanthrop. He is the founder and chairman of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Foundation, otherwise known as MiSK, an organization that works for the disadvantaged youth, cultivating leadership and helping start-ups.
On January 23, 2015, following his father’s accession to the throne after the death of King Abdullah, Mohammed bin Salman was appointed defence minister. The first and most significant move of his career was Operation Decisive Storm, a Saudi-led intervention in Yemen to fight the Houthi rebels. The war, aimed at restoring the power of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, turned out to be a long war of attrition still on-going. It has failed to dislodge the Iran-backed Houthi rebels from the capital, Sanaa, and has had devastating effects on the impoverished country.
The new crown prince has ruled out any possibility of dialogue with Iran. He is said to be driving a far more aggressive foreign policy on Iran than his predecessor.
Mohammed bin Salman has also successfully lobbied for regulations restricting the powers of religious police and calling for more entertainment options for both families and youth. He established an entertainment authority that has hosted comedy shows, pro wrestling events, and monster truck rallies. He has talked about opportunities for women but stopped short of saying whether the long standing ban on driving could end.
In April 2016, Mohammed bin Salman introduced Vision 2030, his vision for the future of the country, which details goals and measures in various fields, from developing non-oil revenues and privatization of the economy to e-government and sustainable development.
Controversy
While announcing Operation Decisive Storm as defence minister, Mohammed did not inform Saudi National Guard Prince Mutaib bin Abdullah, as the Saudi protocol dictates. In the midst of the operation, Mohammed bin Salman went on a holiday to Maldives, where United States Secretary of Defense Ash Carter had trouble reaching him for days. The operation, led by him, also resulted in direct war crimes being committed in Yemen which has killed thousands of civilians to date.
In 2015, Mohammed bin Salman, while vacationing in France, spotted a 440-foot yacht floating off the coast. In a spur of the moment purchase he bought the yacth from Russian vodka tycoon Yuri Scheffler for a price of €500 million.
Written by Aqsa Sajjad
