The battle for power in the kingdom: Part - I

When the new crown prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) announced liberal reforms by allowing women to drive and go to stadiums, the world welcomed it. But now, it appears that those changes were just the beginning.

Often, new rulers make announcements that appeal to popular sentiments while hiding their true motives behind them. Such initial announcements project the ruler in a positive light with an enlightened overtone. For example, when General (r) Pervez Musharraf toppled the elected government of Nawaz Sharif in 1999, a couple of photos were released showing Musharraf with his dogs – a sign of his ‘enlightened moderation’.

Similarly, the new crown prince of Saudi Arabia made some interesting announcements in the weeks before his recent coup. He allowed women to drive and go to stadiums, making him popular with young women. He loosened the noose on the media and permitted dance and music on TV and in theatres. People were ecstatic at this fresh air. Then came the hammer. He announced, a ‘war on corruption’, apparently on the instructions of his father, King Salman. But everyone knew that the man behind this was the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman – popularly known as MBS.

When Salman bin Abdul Aziz became king in January 2015, he was almost 80. Immediately after becoming the king, he appointed his nephew, Prince Mohammad bin Nayef, as the crown prince and his own son, MBS, as the deputy crown prince. At that time, Mohammad bin Nayef was 55 years old while MBS was just 30. These decisions were welcomed in the KSA since a crown prince who was 25 years younger than the king was a generation ahead. And another 25-years-younger deputy crown prince would offer a seamless transition. Prince Mohammad bin Nayef was an experienced leader who had been deputy prime minister and interior minister.

That’s why almost everyone was surprised when King Salman dismissed him in June 2017. In a shocking move, the king replaced him, with MBS as the crown prince. Since the inception of the KSA in 1932, this was the first time that a king had not appointed his brother or half-brother as his successor and selected his son to be the next king. Now, this new crown prince has arrested dozens of ministers and even more princes, including four incumbent and several ex-ministers. Perhaps the biggest surprise has been the arrest of Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal.

Al-Waleed is the owner of the renowned Savoy Hotel in London. With over $18 billion worth of assets, he is among the richest people in the world. He also owns investment companies, including the Kingdom Holdings whose share prices have plummeted by 10 percent since his arrest. In addition to Twitter and Apple, Prince Al-Waleed is also a shareholder with Citigroup and Four Seasons Hotels. After the 9/11 attacks in New York, he received much appreciation from the American people after he donated $10 million for the welfare of the victims and their families.

Fifteen years later, the same Al-Waleed promised that he would give away the most expensive cars to the Saudi fighter pilots who bombarded the targets in Yemen. And now, this prince is himself under fire. Behind this politics, it is important to understand the internecine tussles within the Saudi royal family. The incumbent King Salman belongs to the so-called Sudairi clan of the royal family. This clan originally consisted of the seven brothers born of Hussa Sudairi – one of the several wives of King Abdul Aziz, the founder of the KSA.

In 1964, when King Faisal came to power, the Sudairi brothers played an important role in removing the previous King Saud. The brothers included Fahd, Sultan, Abdul Rahman, Nayef, Turki, Ahmed and Salman – the present king. These seven brothers have dominated Saudi politics for the past 50 years – especially the 23-year rule of the former King Fahd that consolidated the Sudairi power.

Of the ‘Sudairi seven’, Prince Sultan remained the defence minister for 50 years. For 30 years, he also occupied the positions of the deputy prime minister and then prime minister. Another Sudairi, Prince Abdul Rahman was the deputy defence minister for 30 years.

Prince Nayef was the interior minister for over 35 years and Prince Turki of the same Sudairi clan held the position of deputy defence minister for 10 years. Finally, the present King Salman – himself a Sudairi – had been the governor of Riyadh for almost half a century. This shows the power the Sudairi clan has exercised in the KSA. And now, MBS is consolidating this supremacy.

To be continued

The writer holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham, UK and works in Islamabad.

Email: Mnazir1964@yahoo.co.uk