Mohammed bin Salman (b. 1985)

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Biography

Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, also known as MbS, is the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, formally serving as Crown Prince and Prime Minister. He is the heir apparent to the Saudi throne, the seventh son of King Salman, and the grandson of the nation's founder, Ibn Saud.

Timeline

The story of Mohammed bin Salman, told in moments.

2015 Event

Appointed deputy crown prince and Minister of Defense after his father became king. At 29, he became the youngest defense minister in the world. Launched the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen that year.

Youngest defense minister in the world at twenty-nine. Were you ready? Launching the Yemen intervention. Has the cost been worth it?

2017 Event

Promoted to crown prince, displacing his cousin Mohammed bin Nayef. Led a purge of Saudi elites at the Ritz-Carlton Riyadh, detaining hundreds on corruption charges. The government reportedly seized up to $800 billion in assets.

The Ritz-Carlton purge. Was that anti-corruption or consolidation? $800 billion in seized assets. Did anyone resist?

2018 Event

Lifted the ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia and weakened the male-guardianship system. The same year, journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. A US intelligence report later concluded that MBS had ordered the operation.

Women driving and Khashoggi killed in the same year. How do those coexist? The intelligence report naming you. Does international opinion constrain you?

2022 Life

Became Prime Minister while remaining Crown Prince. Saudi Vision 2030 aims to diversify the economy away from oil through tech, tourism, sport, and the $500 billion Neom megaproject. He brokered a grain export deal between Russia and Ukraine the same year.

Neom, Vision 2030, $500 billion megaprojects. Is that ambition or fantasy? Brokering between Russia and Ukraine. Was that diplomacy or opportunity?

Artifacts (9)

June driving jacket

Khoja, Mohammed F. (Mr)

2018

vam View

"Fikr" is Forward Leaning and Potent

In May, Saudi Arabia launched the Ideological Warfare Center (IWC or Fikr in Arabic). The IWC is the Kingdom’s counter-terrorism information center under the supervision of Crown Prince Mohammed bin...

2017

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Will 2018 see MbS stake a claim to greatness?

In 2017 the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) marked himself out as a Middle East leader to be reckoned with. The consolidation of his power was completed with two audacious maneuvers that...

2018

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Fire and Fury in the Gulf

Amid the fire and fury of Michael Wolff’s explosive account of the Trump presidency so far, readers hoping for greater insight into some of the international controversies of his first year in office...

2018

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Reform ohne Liberalisierung: die Präsidentialisierung Saudi-Arabiens

Saudi-Arabien hat seit 2015 entscheidende politische Neuausrichtungen vorgenommen. Eine militarisierte Außenpolitik wird dabei von einer ambitionierten innenpolitischen Reformagenda flankiert. Der...

2019

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A sovereign wealth fund for the Prince: economic reforms and power consolidation in Saudi Arabia

With the “Vision 2030” development plan, Saudi Arabia wants to diversify its economy and end its dependence on oil in the long term. The Public Investment Fund (PIF) is of particular importance here....

2019

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Ein Staatsfonds für den Prinzen: Wirtschaftsreformen und Herrschaftssicherung in Saudi-Arabien

Mit dem Entwicklungsplan "Vision 2030" will Saudi-Arabien seine Wirtschaft diversifizieren und seine Abhängigkeit vom Erdöl langfristig beenden. Besondere Bedeutung kommt dabei dem Public Investment...

2019

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Samaran, Charles

1912

Works Talk

A Study to Assess the Need for Post-secondary Education in the Prisons of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

1992

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