They also discussed Saudi weapons purchases from China. Often to the chagrin of conservative Saudis and the Wahhb religious establishment, his policies began to relax many of the strict social restrictions for which Saudi Arabia was known. He also served as minister of defense (2015-22). [188] In 2017 it was reported that Saudi Arabia provided weapons to Syrian opposition groups, fighting against the Assad regime. Its estimated $500 billion price tag, however, led to criticisms. An air and naval blockade led to a humanitarian disaster that, as of early 2018, left an estimated 22 million people in need of assistance or at risk of famine, 2 million displaced and an estimated 16,000 dead (although many believe that number to be higher). He also served as minister of defense (201522). He was personally linked to the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi Arabian Washington Post columnist who had criticised the Saudi government, but he has denied involvement in the killing. [42] The interrogators knew very little outside of the victims' assets within Saudi Arabia and wanted to know more about their off-shore holdings, while the victims did not know why they were detained. In October 2018 Mohammed orchestrated the extrajudicial killing abroad of Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent journalist and exiled government critic who once served as an adviser and aide to a Saudi ambassador. Mohammed's biggest bet was his plan to restore Saudi dominance in global oil markets by driving the new competition into bankruptcy, by keeping the oil price low enough for a long enough period. Salman bin Abdulaziz was the governor of Riyadh province for more than 50 years, until stepping down in 2011. Under Mohammed, Saudi Arabia started co-ordinating its energy policy with Russia since 2016, and also strengthened its relations with China, signing a comprehensive strategic partnership with Xi Jinping in 2022. Mohammed was the architect of Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen which has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis and famine there. [291], In 2018, Mohammed's personal net worth was estimated at US$3.0billion. He soon began remaking the court in his own image. [84], In December 2022, Saudi Arabia's Education and Training Evaluation Commission (ETEC) declared a governmental ban on Muslim female students from wearing the traditional abaya clothing to examination centres; insisting that students should wear only school uniforms. please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. [79], Mohammed states that "in Islamic law, the head of the Islamic establishment is wali al-amr[80] (Arabic: ), the ruler. [151][152] In February 2018, it became legally possible for Saudi women to open their own business without a male's permission. The plans for a 334-square kilometre city include a safari and a Six Flags theme park. After the briefing, the senators were more than certain that Mohammed played a major role in the killing. [42] The detainees were threatened with blackmail. ", "Saudis' Image Makers: A Troll Army and a Twitter Insider", "Saudi 'Mr. Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman Al-Saud, Deputy Minister for Petroleum H.R.H. [114] In October 2017, the plan for Aramco's IPO listing was criticised by The Economist, which called it "a mess". +966154*********. When he announced an anti-terrorist military alliance of Islamic countries in December 2015, some of the countries involved said they had not been consulted. It's been young Saudis, particularly younger Saudi men in the street". Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute (SWFI) is a global organization designed to study sovereign wealth funds, pensions, endowments, superannuation funds, family offices, central banks and other long-term institutional investors in the areas of investing, asset allocation, risk, governance, economics, policy, trade and other relevant issues. Corrections? The tall, dark and handsome Saudi prince known as MBS has seduced world leaders and eager pundits left and right. When his father became Crown Prince in 2012, Salmans power expanded, and he increasingly became known as one of Saudi Arabias key figures. President Joe Biden and Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, could meet for the first time as soon as next month, multiple sources told CNN. In the last week of September 2018, Mohammed inaugurated the much-awaited $6.7bn high-speed railway line connecting Mecca and Medina, the two holiest cities of Islam. Mohammed has stated that he grew up playing video games. [293], In December 2020, Mohammed invested money into Take-Two Interactive, Electronic Arts, and Activision Blizzard through Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund. Free shipping for many products! Yet "[i]t is not clear what those detained are suspected of. [181] Following the Houthi missile attack against Riyadh in December 2017, which was intercepted by Saudi air defence,[182] Mohammed retaliated with a ten-day barrage of indiscriminate airstrikes against civilian areas in Yemen held by Houthi forces, killing dozens of children. [283] The exact current location of the painting is unknown,[284][285] as it has not been seen publicly since the auction. There are no democratic institutions in Saudi Arabia, and elements of repression are evident. [40][41], Those arrested in the Ritz Carlton were the subject of what became called "the night of beating". Al-Jabri has called Mohammed "a psychopath, killer with infinite resources, who poses threat to his people, to the Americans and to the planet". [276][277], In December 2017, a number of sources reported that Mohammed, using his close associate Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Farhan as an intermediary, had bought Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci; the sale in November at $450.3million set a new record price for a work of art. The company specializes in creating value-added, master-planned communities that meet Find contact details for 700 million professionals. SWFI facilitates sovereign fund, pension, endowment, superannuation fund and central bank events around the world. Mohammed was also placed in charge of the state oil company Aramco and the Council of Economic and Developmental Affairs, the countrys primary policy-making body for economic development. [90], At the inaugural Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh in October 2017, Mohammed announced plans for the creation of Neom, a $500billion economic zone to cover an area of 26,000 square kilometres on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast, extending into Jordan and Egypt. Rex Tillerson's efforts to stop it may have cost him his job", "Menendez and Graham announce resolution on Saudi Arabia in wake of Khashoggi killing", "Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson accused of 'central role' in arming Saudi Arabia as UK's relationship with Riyadh reaches crossroads", "Jeremy Hunt's bid for prime minister is being funded by a close ally of Saudi prince Mohammed Bin Salman", "Saudi strongman 'encouraged' Russia intervention in Syria, lawsuit claims", "Arms supplied by U.S., Saudi ended up with Islamic State, researchers say", "Saudi Crown Prince Says U.S. He added that the Houthis usurped power in Sana'a before he served as minister of defence. [256][257] Following the lawsuit, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued the summons against Mohammed bin Salman, along with 11 other people. Human rights activists and women's rights activists in Saudi Arabia routinely face abuse and torture by the regime. [21][22], In Yemen, the political unrest (which began escalating in 2011) rapidly became a major issue for the newly appointed minister of defence, with Houthis taking control of northern Yemen in late 2014, followed by the resignation of President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and his cabinet. [101], Saudi Arabia, OPEC's largest producer, has the second-largest amount of oil reserves in the world. [128], On 26 April 2020, the Supreme Judicial Council of Saudi Arabia abolished flogging as a punishment in the country, stating that the decision was "an extension of the human rights reforms introduced under the direction of King Salman and the direct supervision of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman". [107][108], Mohammed established an entertainment authority that began hosting comedy shows, professional wrestling events, and monster truck rallies. [287] In early 2018, he visited the United States, where he met with many politicians, business people and Hollywood stars, including then-President Trump, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Henry Kissinger, Michael Bloomberg, George W. Bush, George H. W. Bush, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Oprah Winfrey, Rupert Murdoch, Richard Branson, Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, and Dwayne Johnson. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Meanwhile, the economic fallout from the pandemic and Russias invasion of Ukraine revitalized Mohammeds stature as a global economic player in 2022. Get contact details including emails and phone numbers On 28 September 2021, U.S. president Joe Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, met with Mohammed in Saudi Arabia to discuss the high oil prices. Mohammed's first move as minister was to mobilise a pan-GCC coalition to intervene following a series of suicide bombings in the Yemeni capital Sana'a via air strikes against Houthis, and impose a naval blockade. [56], On 27 September 2022, Mohammed was appointed as prime minister of Saudi Arabia by King Salman. Salman spent several years working in the private sector, before becoming an advisor to his father in 2004. [213] In September 2021, Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Mohammed. For other uses, see, This article is about the Saudi prince. Prince Mohammed bin Salman has vexed financial officials at times as he pushes pet projects on the Public Investment Fund, including a deal with Jared Kushner. [35], Mohammed leads the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen against the Houthi rebels, who in 2015 seized Sana'a and ousted the Saudi-backed Hadi government, ending multilateral efforts towards a political settlement following the 2011 Yemeni uprising. [164][165][166] Coalition airstrikes during the intervention have resulted in thousands of civilians killed or injured,[167] prompting accusations of war crimes in the intervention. He is the seventh son of King Salman. [82], explained that Islamic law is based on two textual sources: the Quran and the Sunnah, or the example of the Prophet Muhammad, gathered in many tens of thousands of fragments from the Prophet's life and sayings. He was later appointed Deputy Crown prince, behind his cousin, Mohammed bin Nayef. [242], In June 2019, a UN report entitled "Annex to the Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions: Investigation into the unlawful death of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi" linked Mohammed to the assassination. "[75] Gabriella Perez argues that the new social changes implemented by MBS are oriented towards secularist repression, with the potential to adversely impact freedom of religion in the country. [74] Mohammed's inviting of "a constant stream of Western male and female singers, bands, dancers and even American female wrestlers" to perform in Saudi Arabia is in complete conflict with religious conservatives who have spoken "against the opening up of the kingdom to secular Western culture". Emaar Square Downtown Dubai, Dubai, Dubai 9440, AE, View Prince Mohammed spearheads various youth oriented philanthropic groups in the Kingdom, and is known as both a kind and charitable individual. [31], Mohammed was appointed crown prince on 21 June 2017, following the King's decision to depose Muhammad bin Nayef and make his own son the heir to the throne. [100] Efforts to diversify the Saudi energy sector also include wind and solar, including a 1.8 gigawatt solar plant announced in the same month as part of a long-term project in partnership with SoftBank. The campaign, however, failed to turn the tide in the war and led to little more than a prolonged stalemate and one of the worst humanitarian crises in modern history. [50], Robert W. Jordan, former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said that "certainly Saudi Arabia has had a corruption problem for many years. Salman bin Abdulaziz, when he was a prince and governor of Riyadh, in 1986. Emaar has been shaping landscapes and lives in the Emirate since the companys inception in 1997. ", "More than 200 detained in Saudi Arabia in $100 billion corruption sweep", "Statement by the Royal Court: Anti Corruption Committee Concludes Its Tasks The official Saudi Press Agency", "Saudi king presented with final corruption crackdown report, $107 bln recovered", "Corruption Perceptions Index 2019 for New Zealand", "Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince to become Kingdom's Prime Minister: Royal decree", "Beating Up on Canada Again: the Canada Letter", "Saudi Arabia's Populist King in Waiting", "Saudi Arabia's corruption crackdown risks scaring off investors", "Heir's modernising vision risks conservative discontent", "How the man behind Khashoggi murder ran the killing via Skype", "Spotlight: Inside the stricken court of crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman", "Meet the Two Princes Reshaping the Middle East", "A Saudi Prince's Quest to Remake the Middle East", "Jamal Khashoggi Secret Interview: The Saudi Journalist's Views of Islam, America and the 'Reformist' Prince Implicated in His Murder", "Critics cite worsening Saudi repression two years after journalist's gruesome slaying", "Saudi Arabia Case Study | Understanding Transnational Repression", "Saudi king stamps his authority with staff shake-up and handouts", "Project to Get Saudi Arabia's Economy Off Oil", "Saudi Crown Prince Lambasts His Kingdom's Wahhabi Establishment", "Rise and fall of the Saudi religious police", "Who or What Is the Wali al Amr: the Unposed Question", "Saudi Arabia bans abayas in examination halls", "EXPLAINED: 'Saudi Arabia bans Hijab in Exam Halls'How far it's true? 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