Mohammed bin Salman: Difference between revisions
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The first major event in his tenure as defense minister was Operation Decisive Storm, which started as a bombing campaign against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people and millions in damage to property.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2015/03/saudi-ambassador-announces-military-operation-yemen-150325234138956.html|work=Al Jazeera|title=Saudi and Arab allies bomb Houthi positions in Yemen|date=26 March 2015|accessdate=25 March 2015}}</ref> |
The first major event in his tenure as defense minister was Operation Decisive Storm, which started as a bombing campaign against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people and millions in damage to property.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2015/03/saudi-ambassador-announces-military-operation-yemen-150325234138956.html|work=Al Jazeera|title=Saudi and Arab allies bomb Houthi positions in Yemen|date=26 March 2015|accessdate=25 March 2015}}</ref> |
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It is not clear, though, if the young prince had a real decisional power in the organization of the armed attack against Yemen. As a matter of fact, many think that he did not lay hands on the tactics of the war and that his main role was confined to the organization of promotional campaigns for the war. On the other hand, some experts, such as Thomas Lippman of the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC, have suggested that actually the decision to attack Yemen was taken by the King and Prince Salman, despite the opposition of the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia. |
It is not clear, though, if the young prince had a real decisional power in the organization of the armed attack against Yemen. As a matter of fact, many think that he did not lay hands on the tactics of the war and that his main role was confined to the organization of promotional campaigns for the war. On the other hand, some experts, such as Thomas Lippman of the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC, have suggested that actually the decision to attack Yemen was taken by the King and Prince Salman, despite the opposition of the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia. |
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In any case, the conflict in Yemen is of extreme importance for the young prince: should Saudi Arabia succeed in expelling the Huthis out of the country's government, Salman would probably gain enough power to cement his claim as the king's successor. Otherwise he would have to give up the throne of Saudi Arabia<ref |
In any case, the conflict in Yemen is of extreme importance for the young prince: should Saudi Arabia succeed in expelling the Huthis out of the country's government, Salman would probably gain enough power to cement his claim as the king's successor. Otherwise he would have to give up the throne of Saudi Arabia<ref>{{cite web|title=A Great Deal of Power for a Young Prince in Saudi Arabia|url=https://chronicle.fanack.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=44017&action=edit&lang=en|website=Fanack.com|accessdate=15 April 2015}}</ref>. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 13:21, 15 April 2015
| Mohammad bin Salman | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| Minister of Defense | |||||
| In office | 23 January 2015 – present | ||||
| Predecessor | Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud | ||||
| Monarch | King Salman | ||||
| Secretary General of the Royal Court | |||||
| In office | 23 January 2015 – present | ||||
| Predecessor | Khaled al-Tuwaijri | ||||
| Monarch | King Salman | ||||
| Head of the Crown Prince Court | |||||
| In office | 14 January 2013 – 23 January 2015 | ||||
| Predecessor | Ali bin Ibrahim Al Hadeethi | ||||
| Monarch | King Abdullah | ||||
| Born | 1985 (age 38–39) | ||||
| Spouse | Sara bint Mashoor bin Abdulaziz Al Saud | ||||
| |||||
| House | House of Saud | ||||
| Father | Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud | ||||
| Mother | Fahda bint Falah bin Sultan Al Hithalayn | ||||
| Religion | Islam | ||||
Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud (Arabic: محمد بن سلمان بن عبد العزيز آل سعود) (born 1985) is Saudi Minister of Defense and the youngest minister of defense in the world.[1] He is also chief of the royal court, and a member of the House of Saud.
Early life
Prince Mohammad was born in 1985.[2] He is the son of King Salman and his third spouse Fahda bint Falah bin Sultan Al Hithalayn.[3] He is the full brother of Turki bin Salman, chairman of the Saudi Research and Marketing Group.[3] Prince Mohammad holds a bachelor degree in law from King Saud University.[4]
Career
After graduating college, the Prince spent several years in the private sector before being tapped by his father as a personal aide. He had already gotten the sinecure position as a consultant to the Experts Commission under the Saudi Cabinet.[citation needed]
On 15 December 2009, Prince Mohammad entered politics as a special advisor to his father Prince Salman when the latter was the governor of Riyadh Province.[5] At this time, the prince began to collect titles and sinecure positions such as secretary-general of the Riyadh Competitive Council, special advisor to the chairman of the Board for the King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives, and a member of the Board of Trustees for Albir Society in Riyadh region.[citation needed]
In 2011, The Crown Prince died, and Prince Salman began his ascent to power by becoming Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister in November 2011. In the Saudi tradition of nepotism, he took his son along with him as a "Private Adviser."[6]
Prince Mohammed established the "Prince Mohammed bin Salman Foundation," otherwise known as MISK, which is meant to help needy youth and became the chairman of the foundation.[7]
Chief of the Court
In June 2012, the Crown Prince, Prince Nayef, died. Prince Salman moved up into the number two position in the hierarchy and soon began remaking the court in his own image, starting with appointing Prince Mohammed supervisor of the Crown Prince’s Office.[8] On 2 March 2013, the chief of the Crown Prince court Prince Saud bin Nayef was appointed governor of the Eastern province and Prince Mohammad succeeded him in the post. He was also given the rank of minister.[9][10][11] On 25 April 2014 Prince Mohammad was appointed state minister.[12]
Defense minister and chair of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs
On 23 January 2015, King Abdullah died, and Salman took the throne. Then, Prince Mohammad was appointed minister of defense,.[13] He was also named as the secretary general of the Royal Court on the same date.[14] In addition he retained his post as the minister of the state.[15][7]
On 29 January 2015 Prince Mohammad was named the chair of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs which was established on the same date.[16] which replaced the disbanded Supreme Economic Commission.[16]
War with Yemen
The first major event in his tenure as defense minister was Operation Decisive Storm, which started as a bombing campaign against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people and millions in damage to property.[17] It is not clear, though, if the young prince had a real decisional power in the organization of the armed attack against Yemen. As a matter of fact, many think that he did not lay hands on the tactics of the war and that his main role was confined to the organization of promotional campaigns for the war. On the other hand, some experts, such as Thomas Lippman of the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC, have suggested that actually the decision to attack Yemen was taken by the King and Prince Salman, despite the opposition of the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia. In any case, the conflict in Yemen is of extreme importance for the young prince: should Saudi Arabia succeed in expelling the Huthis out of the country's government, Salman would probably gain enough power to cement his claim as the king's successor. Otherwise he would have to give up the throne of Saudi Arabia[18].
References
- ^ "Mohammed bin Nayef kingpin in new Saudi Arabia: country experts". Middle East Eye. 1 February 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ^ "قصة-السعودية-مع-الوزراء-الثلاثينيين". Al Arabiya. 4 February 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
- ^ a b "Family Tree of Salman bin Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud". Datarabia. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
- ^ "Council of Ministers: Membership". Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Washington DC. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
- ^ "HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz to inaugurate Cityscape Riyadh 2011". AMEinfo. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
- ^ "Prince Sultan arrives to Bahrain to attend Bahrain Grand Prix". Bahrain News Agency. 22 April 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
- ^ a b Profile: Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Al Arabiya. 27 January 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2015
- ^ "Crown Prince Salman arrives in Jeddah". Saudi Gazette. 24 October 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
- ^ "Leadership's trust in me is my motivation – Muhammad". Saudi Gazette. 3 March 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
- ^ "Prince Mohammad appointed president of crown prince court". Saudi Business News. 2 March 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
- ^ "Prince Mohammed bin Salman appointed Special Advisor to Crown Prince". Asharq Alawsat. 3 March 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
- ^ "Chairman of the Board". MISK. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
- ^ "Saudi King Abdullah passes away". Al Arabiya. 23 January 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ^ "Saudi Prince Mohammad bin Salman named defense minister". Al Arabiya. 23 January 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ^ Anthony H. Cordesman (24 January 2015). "Saudi Succession: The King Is Dead, Long Live the King". Newsweek. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
- ^ a b Simeon Kerr (30 January 2015). "Saudi king stamps his authority with staff shake-up and handouts". Financial Times. Riyadh. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ^ "Saudi and Arab allies bomb Houthi positions in Yemen". Al Jazeera. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ^ "A Great Deal of Power for a Young Prince in Saudi Arabia". Fanack.com. Retrieved 15 April 2015.