| Submit your comments on this article |
| Arabia |
| Saudi Upheavals |
| 2017-11-07 |
[NATION.PK] The notion that modernity comes in many forms is exemplified in the person of Saudi’s Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman. In the latest quixotic adventure, the Crown Prince has placed in durance vileDon't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! 11 princes on corruption charges; including the billionaire Prince al-Waleed bin Talal. Since June, through various royal decrees, the young crown prince has consolidated his grip on government’s affairs. A display of consolidation was shown in a separate move when he recently replaced the head of the Saudi National Guard and the navy chief with the minister of economy. These arrests along with replacing the high officials indicate an accelerated change in the kingdom that first came to light when came after Muhammad bin Salman replaced Muhammad bin Nayef as the crown prince. All these moves, collectively, show the ruthless manner in which Muhammad bin Salman has consolidated power so far. Being the young crown prince and with so much power and authority in his hands, he’s setting himself up to rule the kingdom for a long time with no opposition. He can be seen as one of the typical dictators of the Middle East ruling the country with the U.S approval. As many commentators and analysts see him as the new face of modernity for his liberal ideas ‐lifting the ban on women driving, indicating privatisation of oil, and initiating projects and resorts where Saudi laws don’t apply‐ his bold and authoritarian decisions provides a truer image of him. His erratic behavior has already created a crisis in the Middle East as the war in Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic... is not ending soon and the diplomatic standoff with Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates... is yet to be solved. Keeping all these contradictions and adventures initiated by the young prince, we should be prepared to expect more unpredictable moves and adventurism from the Saudi government. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 I am somewhat concerned that we may see a Lebanon-style civil war develop, with at least four factions; quasi-modern royals, paleo-royals, Sunni religious zealots, and Iranian-backed Shia (the majority, IIRC.) Best case outcome is a big improvement, but all the others border on catastrophic. Too uch, too soon? |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2017-11-07 15:51 |
| #1 Have you hugged a fracker today? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2017-11-07 01:59 |