Saudi Arabia Arrests 4 Ministers and 11 Princes

Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman ordered the arrest of four government ministers and 11 royal princes hours after he was named the head of a new anti-corruption committee. Billionaire prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who has stakes in major U.S. companies like Apple and Twitter, was among those arrested. Gary Sick, a senior research scholar at Columbia University, joins Hari Sreenivasan.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Salman Vows to Do More to Stop Extremism

Eurasia Group president Ian Bremmer discusses foreign policy on 'Sunday Morning Futures.'

Could Saudi Arabia Be the Next Dubai? - BBC Newsnight

How should we view Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's promise of reform? Evan Davis asks Saudi journalist Abeer Mishkhas and Guardian columnist Nesrine Malik.

10 Minutes: Saudi Arabia's New Crown Prince

Saudi Arabia's new crown prince Mohammed bin Salman has become the de facto ruler of the kingdom given his father's poor health. Bin Salman's record of reckless decisions over the past two years has triggered fears that he may take the Kingdom into uncharted territory and further destabilize the Middle East.

Inside Story: Can the Crown Prince Change Saudi Culture?

In the three years since he emerged as a central player in Saudi Arabia's government, Mohammed Bin Salman - also known as MBS - has seemed to be a young man in a hurry. The 32-year-old formally became Crown Prince earlier this year, but well before that he had announced broad plans to transform both Saudi Arabia's culture and its economy.

At a conference this week in Riyadh, the prince made headlines by calling for the Kingdom to "return to moderate Islam." He suggested that his country's embrace of a particularly strict version of Islam, was a reaction to Iran's 1979 revolution. But questions are being asked as to whether the prince will be able to push his reforms through the country's conservative bureaucracy and religious establishment.

At the same time he's spending $2tn on the 'Vision 2030' plan which seeks to lessen the country's dependence on oil revenue. Will Mohammed Bin Salman be successful in both, or even just one of these ambitious projects?

Presenter: Martine Dennis | Guests: Abdullah al-Shayji - Chair, Political Science Department, Kuwait University; Yasemin Saib - Saudi Activist; Jane Kinninmont - Deputy Head, Middle East & North Africa Programme, Chatham House, London

Report: Crown Prince Wants End of Yemen War

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince has reportedly told two former U-S officials that he wants to end the war on Yemen, which has taken the lives of over 12-thousand Yemenis since 2015.

Middle East Eye says it has obtained emails that show Mohammed bin Salman discussed the issue with a former U-S ambassador to Israel and ex-U-S national security adviser Steven Hadley. In the emails, Prince Mohammed also said he was not opposed to U-S rapprochement with Iran. The conversation took place in May, a month before a Saudi-led group of countries cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of trying to undermine the war on Yemen and for having friendly relations with Iran. The 31-year-old heir to the Saudi throne, who oversees the deadly aggression, has at times accused Tehran of destabilizing the region.

Did Saudi Arabia Miscalculate with Qatar Feud? - UpFront

In this web extra, we discuss the new leadership of Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, and look at how the current Gulf crisis may shape future diplomatic relations.

"I think [Mohammed bin Salman] has miscalculated, once again," says Barbara Slavin, Director of the Future of Iran Initiative at the Atlantic Council. "I think he has scored an own goal."

"[Mohammed bin Salman] is not going to have quick success everywhere and his biggest challenge, actually, is not in foreign policy, it’s in domestic policy, and in reforming and diversifying his economy, and that’s a huge undertaking," says Bernard Haykel, Professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University.

The panellists also discussed whether relations between Gulf countries will recover.

"I think it is absolutely possible," Haykel says.

"There will be concessions from both sides, but I think that Qatar, culturally and religiously, is an extension of Arabia."

"This has never been a cohesive group and now it may be fatally broken," Slavin says.

Mohammed bin Salman al-Saud: The Hothead Who Would Be King

THE GUARDIAN: The new heir to the Saudi kingdom is a man with vast ambitions, but it is his international aspirations that are causing the most concern

The sudden elevation of Mohammed bin Salman to the position of crown prince and heir apparent to his father, King Salman of Saudi Arabia, is a welcome surprise for many Saudis. It is also a matter of deep concern for some of the kingdom’s neighbours, notably Iran, which is locked in a region-wide power struggle with its Arab arch-rival that increasingly risks sucking in the US and Russia.

For younger Saudis frustrated by the kingdom’s hidebound traditionalism and inflexible religious laws, Prince Mohammed is seen as a reform-minded new broom who could sweep the country to a brighter, more open future. For critics at home and abroad, he is a dangerous and inexperienced firebrand who could undermine stability and lead Saudi Arabia to unintentional disaster. » | Simon Tisdall | Sunday, June 25, 2017

Why the World Should Take Notice of the Change in Saudi Arabia? - BBC News

Saudi Arabia's king has appointed his son Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince - replacing his nephew, Mohammed bin Nayef, as first in line to the throne.

King Salman's decree also means Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 31, will become deputy prime minister while continuing as defence minister.

Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, 57, has been removed from his role as head of domestic security, state media say.

He has pledged allegiance to the new crown prince, his younger cousin.

As Yemen War Rages On, Saudi King Elevates the War's Architect—His Own Son—to Be Crown Prince

As the U.S. moves ahead with a massive arms deal with Saudi Arabia, Saudi’s king has deposed his nephew as crown prince and has replaced him with his son—the same man presiding over the devastating U.S.-backed, Saudi-led war in Yemen. The move comes a month after President Donald Trump signed a series of arms deals with Saudi Arabia totaling a record $110 billion during a visit to Riyadh. The arms deal includes tanks, artillery, ships, helicopters, missile defense systems and cybersecurity technology. We speak to Kristine Beckerle of Human Rights Watch.

Saudi Arabia's 'Prince of Chaos'

Saudi Succession Change | World

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has promoted his favoured son, Mohammed bin Salman, to crown prince in a shake-up of the established succession order that clears the young royal’s path to the throne.

Saudi King Ousts Nephew for Son - BBC News

Saudi Arabia's king has appointed his son Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince - replacing his nephew, Mohammed bin Nayef, as first in line to the throne.

King Salman's decree also means Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 31, will become deputy prime minister while continuing as defence minister.

Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, 57, has been removed from his role as head of domestic security, state media say.

He has pledged allegiance to the new crown prince, his younger cousin. Why is this significant?

Mohammed bin Salman Named Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince

Mohammed bin Salman named Saudi Arabia's crown prince.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman has appointed his son, Mohammed bin Salman, as heir, in a major reshuffle announced early on Wednesday.

A royal decree removed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, a 57-year-old nephew of the king, as next-in-line to the throne and replaced him with Mohammed bin Salman, 31, who was previously the deputy crown prince.

Al Jazeera's Moreana Hond reports.