The Global Story: Mohammed bin Salman from pariah to peacemaker
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What is the podcast's main topic about Mohammed bin Salman?
Twice now in the last few weeks, the Saudi capital of Riyadh has played host to the biggest movers and shakers of the war in Ukraine. Russia, America and, of course, the Ukrainians themselves. Why Riyadh? because of one man's influence, Saudi Arabia's effective ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, known near universally by his initials MBS. Just a few years ago, he was publicly identified as the man who ordered the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, tortured, killed and dismembered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. As a result, MBS was called a pariah by no less than Joe Biden. But he's also the man who's driven the modernisation and diversification of the desert kingdom. Now he has made Riyadh a place where the world comes to try and do deals. So how did Mohammed bin Salman go from pariah to peacemaker? With me today is Jonathan Rugman, journalist, author and the producer of the BBC TV series The Kingdom, about the life of the Saudi Crown Prince. It's a pleasure, Jonny. Can we start with the man?
I mean, how much do we know of what Mohammed bin Salman is like as a person?
How did Mohammed bin Salman rise to power in Saudi Arabia?
It's a very good question. He's 39 years old. He's over six foot tall. He's bearded. He's charismatic in the way of a kind of old-fashioned tribal Saudi prince. He's a workaholic. He likes to stay up for much of the night. He will summon visitors at one o'clock in the morning if that suits him. He is a man on a mission to change his country as quickly as he can. And I think he feels that he's in a a race against time to do that. And that may be one of the things which made him appeal to his own father, King Salman, in terms of who was going to be his heir. King Salman had plenty of other sons to choose from. MBS is the chosen one. He's the heir to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which makes him in charge of the world's biggest exporter of oil and one of the world's biggest importers of weapons.
I just want to clear up this question of his role. He is the crown prince, and yet he is constantly described as the de facto ruler, the effective ruler. This is because, what, his father is now essentially so old that he is no longer running the show and that Mohammed bin Salman has taken on the mantle of ruler.
Yes. The king is now 89 years old. And the iller his father has become, and this isn't something that is talked about openly in Saudi Arabia, but is sort of widely acknowledged by those in the know, the more power MBS has accrued. So he's been crown prince since 2017. And then in 2022, he was made prime minister. Nobody's in any doubt in Saudi Arabia who rules the roost. And he's not just in charge of an absolute monarchy where there are no political parties and no demonstrations about anything, but he also has an unprecedented degree of power even within that system. because he has sidelined potential rivals, curbed the power of Islamic clerics, and put the frighteners up, the business community, who have all had to step into line.
MBS, as he's known, Mohammed bin Salman, has compared himself with Alexander the Great. I mean, clearly, that impulsiveness is evident from a series of events. from 2015 when his father became king. And the question is, has he changed?
Let's talk about some of the things that took place. First of all, that conflict with Yemen, how he ended up putting together a coalition to go to war in Yemen against what were then known as the Houthi rebels. This is 2015. First of all, the process by which he got Saudi Arabia into that conflict was fairly curious, wasn't it?
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the podcast's main topic about Mohammed bin Salman?
1:06–2:39
2
How did Mohammed bin Salman rise to power in Saudi Arabia?
2:39–9:37
3
What was the international reaction to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi?
9:37–14:49
4
How did Mohammed bin Salman manage the aftermath of Khashoggi's murder?
14:49–17:16
5
Why is Mohammed bin Salman considered a key global figure despite controversies?
17:16–24:32
6
How has Mohammed bin Salman repositioned himself as a peacemaker?
24:32–28:44
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from Global News Podcast
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