King Salman’s decade on Saudi throne under MBS’ shadow

By Isaac J. Martín Cairo, Jan 23 (EFE).– As Saudi Arabia marks a decade since King Salman bin Abdulaziz assumed the throne, his reign is widely seen as a transitional period dominated by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS).

MBS, 39, has steered the conservative monarchy through significant reforms, controversies, and geopolitical challenges, reshaping the kingdom’s future.

Early in his reign, Saudi Arabia took a leading role in the war in Yemen, heading a military coalition in a conflict that sparked one of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

The October 2018 assassination of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul further tarnished the kingdom’s global reputation, with MBS widely accused of orchestrating the killing, an allegation he denies.

From Conflict to Controversy In Yemen, Saudi Arabia initially pursued aggressive military intervention, leading to an estimated 150,000 deaths by 2022, according to UN-linked observers.

However, the kingdom has since shifted its approach, declaring a ceasefire and engaging in peace talks with the Houthi rebels.

“The approach of the Saudis to the conflict has changed and now they are engaging with the Houthis. There have been talks, direct talks with the Houthis,” Baraa Shiban, a researcher at the UK-headquartered Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), told EFE.

“(It) started as a Saudi problem. Now it is more of a collective Western problem… with the US, UK, and even Israel launching strikes.”

The Khashoggi case remains a major stain on Saudi Arabia’s image that has turned into a public relations nightmare, said Kristian Coates Ulrichsen of the Baker Institute for Public Policy, an American think tank on the campus of Rice University in Houston, Texas.

“The Khashoggi murder and its aftermath did great damage to the image of the Saudi leadership and called into question the direction the country was taking under the Crown Prince,” Coates Ulrichsen told EFE.

Reforms Amid Repression

Despite the controversies, MBS has spearheaded transformative initiatives under the Vision 2030 program, aimed at diversifying the oil-dependent economy.

These reforms include expanding tourism, granting women greater rights, and hosting global sporting events and entertainment festivals.

“Saudi Arabia is witnessing a profound structural transformation in the socio-political landscape, and it is continuing,” said Zarqa Parvez of Georgetown University.

“While visible reforms, such as women’s right to drive and changes to guardianship laws, serve as significant indicators, the fundamental change lies in the systematic integration of women into the kingdom’s economic and institutional framework.”

However, this liberalization has been accompanied by intensified repression. In 2018, a wave of arrests targeted activists advocating for women’s rights, including prominent figure Loujain al-Hathloul.

Last year, Saudi Arabia executed 345 people, the highest annual total recorded under King Salman’s rule, bringing the decade’s total to 1,585, according to the European-Saudi Organization for Human Rights.

A Transition to the Future

At 88 and in fragile health, King Salman is increasingly seen as a transitional figure “who paved the way for the transfer of power and authority from the band of brothers who had ruled Saudi Arabia for six decades to a younger and very different generation of leaders,” said Ulrichsen.

Since 2017, MBS has effectively governed Saudi Arabia, shaping its policies and positioning himself as the future king.

Observers anticipate little immediate change when MBS formally ascends the throne, as he has already consolidated power and begun redefining the kingdom. EFE

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