Ben Hubbard – The New York Times:
King Salman of Saudi Arabia promoted his 31-year-old son, Mohammed bin Salman, to be next in line to the throne on Wednesday …
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The decision to remove the previous crown prince, Mohammed bin Nayef, 57, comes as some members of the royal family have chafed at the rise of the younger prince, who emerged from relative obscurity when his father, 81, ascended the throne in January 2015.
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As deputy crown prince, he spearheaded the development of a wide-ranging plan, called Saudi Vision 2030, which seeks to decrease the country’s dependence on oil, diversify its economy and loosen some of the conservative, Islamic kingdom’s social restrictions.
The new crown prince reminds me of the “Prince Nasir” character in Syriana. He, too, fancied himself a cultural reformer, seeking the same changes.
Hopefully the same end doesn’t come to Prince Mohammed.
#saudi #arabia #syriana
A Random Stroll 