After months of turning away from the spotlight, the Saudi crown prince has taken center stage with diplomatic and economic moves aimed at courting the new American president.
Joe Biden is expected to be less responsive to Mohammed bin Salman, better known as Mohammed bin Salman, especially on the issues of Iran, Saudi Arabia’s archenemy and human rights.
Diplomats say the crown prince knows he will not enjoy the reserves offered by Donald Trump.
Mohammed bin Salman’s reformist image took a hit in 2018, with the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi by agents seen as close to the prince, and his steps to crush dissent and marginalize opponents.
He denies the order to kill Khashoggi.
This year – Mohammed bin Salman is back.
This rare TV appearance last week was aimed at unveiling a carbon-free city – to show new economic momentum and try to lure panicked foreign investors.
Voluntary cuts to Saudi crude production to help stabilize oil markets were another important economic step.
There have been high-profile diplomatic moves, too.
In January, Mohammed bin Salman presided over this Gulf summit and declared reconciliation with Qatar, ending a conflict seen as narrow-minded in the West.
He seeks to present himself as a statesman and pragmatist.
President-elect Biden is expected to re-engage with Tehran and take a more assertive stance on Saudi Arabia’s human rights record and the devastating Yemen war.
Riyadh, which has enjoyed Trump’s backing and its hard-line campaign against Iran, opposes a return to the 2015 nuclear deal.
Therefore, Mohammed bin Salman seeks to present Saudi Arabia as a moderate force that should participate in future talks.
Tension over Biden over Iran was one of the reasons the kingdom pressured the Trump administration to blacklist the Iran-aligned Houthi group, which has launched cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia.
United Nations officials warn that this could push Yemen into widespread famine, and urge Biden to cancel the move, which will take effect on Tuesday (January 19).
Other recent Saudi gestures include reduced prison terms for a prominent women’s rights activist and a Saudi-American doctor whose case is seen as politically motivated.
Even as Riyadh showed it would not accept dissent, they were seen as a reference to Biden.
Video transcript
[? MUHAMMAD BIN SALMAN: ?] [SPEAKING ARABIC]
– After months of turning away from the spotlight, the Saudi crown prince has taken center stage with diplomatic and economic moves aimed at courting the new American president. Joe Biden is expected to be less responsive to Mohammed bin Salman, better known as Mohammed bin Salman, especially on the issues of Iran, Saudi Arabia’s archenemy and human rights. Diplomats say the crown prince knows he will not enjoy the reserves offered by Donald Trump.
Mohammed bin Salman’s reformist image came under fire in 2018, with the Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi being killed by agents seen as close to the prince and his steps to crush dissent and marginalize opponents. He denies the order to kill Khashoggi.
MUHAMMAD BIN SALMAN: [SPEAKING ARABIC]
– But this year, Mohammed bin Salman is back. This rare TV appearance last week was aimed at unveiling a carbon-free city, to show new economic momentum, and try to win over panicked foreign investors. Voluntary cuts to Saudi crude production to help stabilize oil markets were another important economic step. There have been high-profile diplomatic moves, too.
In January, Mohammed bin Salman presided over this Gulf summit and announced reconciliation with Qatar, ending a conflict seen as narrow-minded in the West, seeking to present himself as a statesman and pragmatist. President-elect Biden is expected to re-engage with Tehran and take a firmer stance on the Saudi human rights record and the devastating Yemen war. Riyadh, which has enjoyed the support of Trump and his hard-line campaign against Iran, opposes a return to the 2015 nuclear deal. Therefore, Mohammed bin Salman seeks to present Saudi Arabia as a moderate force that should participate in future talks.
Tension over Biden over Iran was one of the reasons the kingdom pressured the Trump administration to blacklist the Iran-aligned Houthi group, which has launched cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia. UN officials warn that this could push Yemen into widespread famine and urge Biden to cancel the move, which will take effect on Tuesday. Other recent Saudi gestures include reduced prison terms for a prominent women’s rights activist and a Saudi-American doctor whose case is seen as politically motivated. Even as Riyadh showed it would not accept dissent, they were seen as a reference to Biden.
“Appassionato pioniere della birra. Alcolico inguaribile. Geek del bacon. Drogato generale del web”.
