Conflicts, power struggles and short sighted policies in the Middle East have been known to be a driving factor in the unrest that is posing the biggest threat to world peace, and being prone to all three makes the world’s youngest defence minister, also its most dangerous man.
Mohammed Bin Salman started taking an interest in politics at a young age, as he attended meetings with his father Salman even before entering his teens. Opting to stay in Saudi unlike his other siblings, Salman also started trading in shares at a young age, but back then his blunders were taken care of by his father.
Now, after his father has become Saudi Arabia’s king, the 29-year-old is credited with a war in Yemen, which does not have a clear policy in sight. Mohammed, who is said to be the real power in the kingdom, is also popular with the youth with his habit of walking into ministries and checking the books, which is new in an economy dominated by crony capitalism and patronage, as reported by The Times Of India.
While the urge for quick results sounds good for economic reforms, it has also landed Saudi Arabia into a mess in Yemen, and has led to heightened tension in the region, thanks to a confrontation with Iran. While the idea was to get a decisive victory and establish the prince as a military leader, the bombings only made matters worse, destroying Yemen’s infrastructure, Independent reports.
As Saudi and Iran are already at loggerheads regarding the future of Syria’s President Bashar Al Assad, the Prince also announced a coalition of 34 Muslim nations against terrorism, but left Iran out. The execution of Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr has only created more problems.
Apart from criticism around the world, voices inside the Saudi royal family have also decried the attitude of Mohammed as arrogant and called for his ouster.
While an aggression against Iran will definitely wreak havoc in a region already overrun by sectarian conflicts, Mohammed Bin Salman seems undeterred as he continues to play with fire.
All images sourced from Reuters