Saudi Arabia: Why is Muhammad bin Salman once again active against important princes?

 The arrests of senior princes at the behest of Saudi Arabia's true ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, have sparked a new wave of speculation as to why they were abruptly removed. For Muhammad bin Salman, commonly known as MBS, controversy is nothing new. Ever since his glorious rise to prominence in 2015, he has shown a relentless ambition to reach the top of the political system, silencing all his opponents and critics. Is.  This time, MBS ambitions have targeted members of the Saudi royal family, including an uncle and former interior minister, Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, and a cousin, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef (MBN), a former saint. He has been the Home Minister.

He has been detained and is being investigated for treason, although no charges have been filed against him. They no longer have much power or authority. In 2017, King Salman dishonored Muhammad bin Naif in order to pave the way for his son Muhammad bin Salman to take over the Saudi throne. Prince Ahmed, on the other hand, was prioritizing spending time and money in London until he returned home last year. This begs the question as to why the MBSs are once again active against their rivals and even when they are already weak and incapable of challenging their grip on power.

Only they know the real answer, because in a country like Saudi Arabia, it is almost impossible to access the full truth from official sources. But one thing is for sure, the young prince knows that he will not have to pay any price for this action, either at the international level or at the national level. After the assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018, there was nothing to fear for MBS after it came out of international stigma and criticism.

Trump's White House has strongly supported MBS. Britain and France have been half-heartedly critical, but their trade with Riyadh continues, while Russia and China did not have to worry about it. And so the MBS can do almost whatever they want, one by one, isolating the areas that stand in their way for power, whether they are scholars, rival relatives, businessmen or There were pressure groups in the country and they were crushed one by one with the full force of the government.

This is basically dictatorial politics but in the style of the 21st century. The princes are housed in a relaxed environment like the Ritz Carlton in Riyadh in 2017, and Muhammad bin Salman is working carefully to look humble. Similarly, when his cousin Muhammad bin Naif was removed from the throne, he apparently kissed his hand with humility. Muhammad bin Salman's progress at the expense of Muhammad bin Naif is not without irony. Until early 2017, most Western policymakers were in Muhammad bin Naif's camp and were trusted and liked by security agencies around the world. Everyone who met him saw him as the king of the future. But as much as Muhammad ibn Naif was capable of managing the country's national security, he failed to counter Muhammad ibn Salman's intentions and cunning. The detained princes were held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh in 2017

There have always been rumors of a power play in the Saudi royal family, and rumors were rife that King Salman was on the verge of death, or that Muhammad bin Salman realized the plot and thwarted it. There is no truth in these two claims because the clearest answer seems to be ignored, that is, it was a message from King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman to the rest of the royal family to stay within their limits. It was a disciplinary move aimed at gaining loyalty and convincing everyone who the boss was. And don't get me wrong, Muhammad bin Salman is the boss of Saudi Arabia. Michael Stephens is an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a Middle East think tank. Follow them on Twitter.