| Mohammed bin Salman | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Mohammed in 2019 | |||||
| Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia | |||||
| Assumed office 21 June 2017 | |||||
| Monarch | Salman bin Abdulaziz | ||||
| Preceded by | Muhammad bin Nayef | ||||
| 6th Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia | |||||
| Assumed office 27 September 2022 | |||||
| Monarch | Salman bin Abdulaziz | ||||
| Preceded by | Salman bin Abdulaziz | ||||
| 8th First Deputy Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia | |||||
| In office 21 June 2017 – 27 September 2022 | |||||
| Monarch | Salman bin Abdulaziz | ||||
| Preceded by | Muhammad bin Nayef | ||||
| |||||
| In office 29 April 2015 – 21 June 2017 | |||||
| Monarch | Salman bin Abdulaziz | ||||
| Prime Minister | Salman bin Abdulaziz | ||||
| Deputy | Muhammad bin Nayef | ||||
| Preceded by | Muhammad bin Nayef | ||||
| Succeeded by | Muhammad bin Muqrin | ||||
| Minister of Defense | |||||
| In office 23 January 2015 – 27 September 2022 | |||||
| Monarch | Salman bin Abdulaziz | ||||
| Prime Minister | Salman bin Abdulaziz | ||||
| Preceded by | Salman bin Abdulaziz | ||||
| Succeeded by | Khalid bin Salman | ||||
| Born | 31 August 1985 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | ||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Issue |
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| House | Al Saud | ||||
| Father | Salman bin Abdulaziz | ||||
| Mother | Fahda bint Falah Al Hithlain | ||||
| Alma mater | King Saud University | ||||
| Military career | |||||
| Allegiance |  Saudi Arabia | ||||
| Service | Saudi Arabian Armed Forces | ||||
| Battles / wars | Saudi-led intervention in the Yemeni civil war | ||||
| Signature | |||||
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Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (Arabic: محمد بن سلمان آل سعود, romanized: Muḥammad bin Salmān Āl Su‘ūd; born 31 August 1985), commonly known by his initials as MBS or MbS, is the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,[1] formally serving as Crown Prince and Prime Minister. He is the heir apparent to the Saudi throne, the seventh son of King Salman of Saudi Arabia, and the grandson of the nation's founder, King Abdulaziz.
Mohammed is the first child of King Salman bin Abdulaziz and his third wife, Fahda bint Falah Al Hithlain. After obtaining a law degree from King Saud University, he became an advisor to his father in 2009. He was appointed deputy crown prince and defense minister after his father became king in 2015, then promoted to crown prince in 2017. Mohammed succeeded his father as prime minister in 2022.
Since his appointment as crown prince in 2017, Mohammed has introduced a series of social and economic reforms; these include curtailing the influence of the Wahhabi religious establishment by restricting the powers of the religious police and improving women's rights, removing the ban on female drivers in 2018 and weakening the male-guardianship system in 2019. His Saudi Vision 2030 program aims to reduce the Saudi economy's reliance on oil through investment in other sectors, such as technology and tourism, which has contributed to greater diversification of the economy;[2] however, the country remains heavily reliant on oil.[3]
Mohammed leads an authoritarian government. Those regarded as political dissidents are systematically repressed through methods including imprisonment and torture; citizens face arrest for social media posts that mildly criticise government policies. A 2021 report by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) found that Mohammed had ordered the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Between 2017 and 2019, he led the purge of competing Saudi political and economic elites, seizing up to US$800 billion in assets and cash and cementing control over Saudi politics.
Under Mohammed, Saudi Arabia has pursued an "aggressive"[1] foreign policy aimed at increasing the country's regional and international influence and attracting greater foreign investment.[4] The Kingdom has coordinated energy policy with Russia, strengthened its relations with China, and expanded diplomatic and commercial relations with emerging economies and regional powers in Africa, South America, and Asia.[4] Mohammed was the architect of the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen and was involved in the escalation of the Qatar diplomatic crisis, as well as a 2018 diplomatic dispute with Canada.
- ^ a b "Mohammed bin Salman | Biography, Saudi Arabia, Father, & Mother | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 11 October 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
- ^ "IMF Staff Country Reports Volume 2023 Issue 323: Saudi Arabia: 2023 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Informational Annex (2023)". IMF eLibrary. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
- ^ Dept, International Monetary Fund Middle East and Central Asia (17 August 2022). "Saudi Arabia: Selected Issues". IMF Staff Country Reports. 2022 (275). doi:10.5089/9798400217548.002.A001 (inactive 1 November 2024).
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link) - ^ a b Understanding Saudi Arabia’s Recalibrated Foreign Policy | Crisis Group