"He's Very Ambitious" - Can Saudi Crown Prince MBS Help Stabilize the Middle East?

Nov 19, 2023 | Patrick Bet-David and the Crown Prince of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, discuss the role of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) in fostering stability in the Middle East.

Ostracized by the West, Russia Finds a Partner in Saudi Arabia

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The two oil-producing countries have extended their partnership even as the United States and Europe have sought to punish and isolate Russia for invading Ukraine.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, left, and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. The leaders have worked together to prop up global oil prices. | Pool photo by Yuri Kadobnov
As Russia massed troops on its border with Ukraine and invaded the country at the start of the year, Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Holding Company quietly invested more than $600 million in Russia’s three dominant energy companies.

Then, over the summer, as the United States, Canada and several European countries cut oil imports from Russia, Saudi Arabia suddenly doubled the amount of fuel oil it was buying from Russia for its power plants, freeing up its own crude for export.

And, this month, Russia and Saudi Arabia steered the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allied producers to reduce output targets in an effort to prop up global oil prices, which were falling, a decision that should increase the oil profits of both nations.

Taken together, the moves represent a distinct Saudi tilt toward Moscow and away from the United States, which it has typically aligned itself with. The Saudi position falls short of an outright political alliance between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, but the two leaders have established an arrangement that benefits both sides.

“Obviously, Saudi-Russian ties are deepening,” said Bill Richardson, a former U.S. energy secretary and ambassador to the United Nations.

By working more closely with Russia, the Saudis are effectively making it more difficult for the United States and the European Union to isolate Mr. Putin. As Europe gets ready to greatly reduce how much oil it imports from Russia, Saudi Arabia and countries like China and India are stepping in as buyers of last resort. » | Clifford Krauss | Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Saudi Crown Prince Accused in Lawsuit of Sending Hit Squad to Canada

THE GUARDIAN: US lawsuit by ex-Saudi intelligence official accuses Mohammed bin Salman of plotting to kill him

A former senior Saudi intelligence official with close ties to western intelligence agencies has accused Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of plotting to kill him, claiming in a US lawsuit that one such attempt was thwarted by Canadian officials in 2018.

A lawsuit by Saad Aljabri against the Saudi crown prince and other Saudi officials, which was brought in a district court in Washington DC, claims that the Saudi state launched a campaign to target the former high-ranking official in Canada because he was viewed as a threat to Prince Mohammed’s relationship with the US and his eventual ascendancy to the throne.

The complaint includes several jaw-dropping and unverified details about the alleged plot to target Aljabri, including a claim that a team of Saudi assassins were sent to Canada to kidnap the former Saudi official just two weeks after the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. » | Stephanie Kirchgaessner, US investigations correspondent | Friday, August 7, 2020

Saudi Crackdown Widens amid Reports of Further Arrests of Royals

A fourth senior prince is reported to have been detained in Saudi Arabia. US media reports say the former head of army intelligence, Prince Nayef bin Ahmed, is among those now being held. But there has not been any official response from the government. Al Jazeera's Alexi O'Brien reports.

Is Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Consolidating Power? – Inside Story

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has had a controversial rise to power, and he appears to be tightening his grip even further.

Media reports suggest at least 20 Princes, officials and army officers have been arrested in the Kingdom's latest purge. They include former Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Nayef and the King's last-surviving full brother, Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz.

The Saudi government hasn't officially responded to reports that the princes were accused of a coup plot. In just three years, Mohammed Bin Salman has silenced nearly all voices of dissent at home, with critics jailed, even killed. So, what are the implications of this crackdown?

Presenter: Jonah Hull | Guests: Roxane Farmanfamaian - Lecturer on Middle East Politics at the University of Cambridge; David Hearst - Editor in Chief of the online publication ‘Middle East Eye’; Ali Al-Ahmed - Director of the Gulf Affairs Institute and a former Saudi political prisoner.

Saudi Crackdown: King Salman's Brother and Nephew Detained

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has reportedly detained high-profile members of the royal family. That includes former crown prince Mohammed bin Nayef, as well as Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the younger brother of the Saudi King.

Reports suggest that they have both been accused of treason. Saudi guards have also arrested one of Mohammed Bin Nayef's brothers. They are now likely under threat of life imprisonment or possible execution. Both could have been rivals to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the throne when King Salman dies.

Al Jazeera’s Jamal Elshayyal explains what these detentions mean for the kingdom and their impact on Saudi politics. We are also joined by Khalil Jahshan, the executive director of Arab Center Washington, DC.