The power behind the Saudi throne (occupied by 79 year old King Salman, perhaps suffering from dementia) is the Crown Prince Muhammed bin Salman (“bin” being the Arabic equivalent of the “ben” which in a genealogical context means “son of”). MBS, as he is known, in his early thirties seems to have been micromanaging Saudi Arabia under the guise of dragging it from medieval times into the 21st century. Since he got his hands on the power, capital punishment, typically beheading, is up around 50%. The Saudi seizure last week of disaffected journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and never came back out, has prompted journalists around the world to circle the wagons. They are beginning to expose the fading lustre of the House of Saud.
MBS, now starving 18 million people in Yemen and preaching the value of diligence and austerity, is revealed as being a huge spender on his own pleasures. A half billion dollars for his yacht; another half billion for a painting. This is the first member of the third generation of Saudi rulers. I don’t think this guy is going to hang onto power long. A new Arab spring, this time in the Arabian Peninsula, should not be surprising.
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