Saudi Arabia’s new Crown Prince

Shirvan (0:00)

King Salman of Saudi Arabia named his favorite son, Muhammad bin Salman, as next in line for the throne on June 21st.

In addition to the promotion, the king also removed all titles from the former crown prince, Muhammad bin Naif. The reorganization is nothing less than groundbreaking.

Typically, Saudi Arabia has been ruled by kings in their 70s or 80s. But in his 30s, bin Salman will be the youngest ruler in the history of the kingdom, and thereby preside over the political, economic, and social reforms in the country. My name is Shirvan, and welcome to CaspianReport. Check out our fundraising page on patreon.com/caspianreport for ways to help support our channel. In a sequence of decrees, King Salman shook up the line of succession. In addition to elevating his son, the king also amended Article 5 of the Statute of Ruling, which stipulates that, from now on, only the sons and grandsons of Ibn Saud can be kings and crown princes. Meaning, Saudi Arabia's distinct monarchy, which is based on agnetic seniority, is adopting the traditional principles of inheritance. This was a much needed change, as the Saudi kingdom was bound to shift from the older generation of rulers to a new generation. However, the recent changes were not spontaneous. They had been set in motion two years earlier, when King Salman reshuffled the royal court and appointed his son, Muhammad bin Salman, as the deputy crown prince. But instead of outright naming his son as his successor, the king gradually introduced and elevated bin Salman to the power brokers within the Saudi dynasty. As such, bin Salman was quickly showered with official titles which he still holds, thus earning him the nickname, Mr. Everything. Amongst his most important tasks, he oversees Saudi Aramco, the Vision 2030 reforms, and he leads the Saudi war in Yemen. Over the last two years, bin Salman has steadily gained the approval from the prominent members of the House of Saud. Yet, regardless of bin Salman's swift promotions, King Salman could not directly replace Muhammad bin Naif, since he was well connected within the royal family and the US intelligence community. In fact, bin Naif was known for his fierce crackdowns of jihadist groups after the September 11 attacks. During his campaign against al-Qaeda, he survived four assassination attempts, one of which left him injured. In recent years, bin Naif also served as the head of the Ministry of Interior. In other words, replacing him was not so straightforward. So in April 2017, King Salman reorganized the royal court and created the National Security Center, which coordinates the country's national security and foreign policy. The legal body included members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Guard, the General Intelligence Directorate, and the Ministry of Interior, the latter which was led by bin Naif. Less than two months later, King Salman issued a decree that targeted the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution, which is the Saudi equivalent of the Attorney General Office, and fell within the jurisdiction of bin Naif. The royal decree renamed the Bureau, and placed it under control of a prosecutor who reports directly to the monarch. Thus by chipping power away from the Minister of Interior, bin Naif was increasingly sidelined. These series of events allowed for a smooth public transition of power in late June 2017

Nevertheless, bin Salman's promotion was bound to happen either way.

However, the Crown Prince's age also means that he is likely to reign for decades to come. So unlike the previous kings, bin Salman cannot neglect the kingdom's much needed economic and social reforms, since that would only create problems for himself later on. This also means that bin Salman's policies must be carefully considered as any miscalculation will be his to deal with. In this context, long-term relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States will remain at a strategic level. In fact, bin Salman has worked hard to reassure the US intelligence community that he is a reliable partner and that he is fully dedicated to fight jihadist factions and consider the American interests in the Middle East. Essentially, it will be business as usual. One area of foreign policy that is expected to change are the relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Bin Salman has greatly aggravated the relations between the two. So much so, that in May 2017, he promised to take the rivalry between Tehran and Riyadh inside Iran's borders. This posture and the geopolitical activities in the region implies that the Saudi-Iranian rivalry will persist, if not expand into new battle spaces. One example is the war in neighboring Yemen. Bin Salman has attempted to oust the Iranian allied Houthi rebels in Yemen. Thus far, his efforts have failed. On top of that, the war is plagued with many controversies ranging from tactical failures to human rights violations and war crimes.