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- Saudi Arabia’s ruler Mohammed bin Salman is seeking to expand his influence.
- Joe Biden threatened to make him a global “pariah” after the assassination of a dissident.
- But he’s exploited global turmoil and his control over oil markets to expand his power.
In November, thousands of Saudis gathered in the streets of Riyadh to celebrate an audacious triumph by their ruler, Mohammed bin Salman.
Saudi Arabia, beating off Italy and South Korea, had just been named host of the 2030 World Expo, a global exhibition that will attract billions in investment and thousands of visitors to the desert kingdom.
The decision was a coup for the crown prince in his bid to reshape the global image of Saudi Arabia as part of his signature Vision 2030 Project, which will see Saudi Arabia move away from its reliance on fossil fuels to become a global center for technology and innovation.
But only six years ago, it was a very different story and Crown Prince Mohammed’s authoritarian brutality, rather than his image as a reformer, was the center of global focus.
The crown prince faced global isolation in the wake of the brutal murder and dismemberment of dissident Jamal Khashoggi in a crime the CIA said was likely committed on his direct orders.
Joe Biden on the 2020 campaign trail said that he would make Crown Prince Mohammed a “pariah” over the killing, while Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham branded him an “unhinged murderer.”
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Rose Rambles... 