Inside the incredible journey of Saudi Prince Mohammad bin Salman's rise to power
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Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has become a very familiar figure to Western economists in the wake of the oil price crisis.
Son of the current king of Saudi Arabia, 30-year-old Prince Mohammed has rocked the commodities world with talk of completely reimagining the Saudi economy.
He wants to sell off infrastructure to reduce the deficit and create a “$2 trillion ($1.37 trillion) megafund” to make the country less dependent on oil.
So how did he get to the point of being able to make such huge decisions and command the world's ear?
We take a look back at his life to see how he rose through the ranks:
Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman was born on 31 August 1985. He is the eldest son of Salman bin Abdulaziz, the current King of Saudi Arabia.
This is his family tree. His father, Salman bin Abdulaziz, was governor of the Riyadh Province before becoming King, and his rise allowed Mohammad bin Salman to quickly climb the ranks too.
King Salman is known for being politically conservative. He even maintained a small jail on his palace grounds where he would lock up 'wayward royals' according to the Washington Post.
Prince Mohammad studied law at King Saud University, where he graduated second in his class according to Al Arabiya News.
The university has about 65,000 students of both sexes. The female students have their own disciplinary panel, and supervising sessions with male tutors have to be conducted by CCTV cameras, according to its website.
In 2008, age 23, Deputy Crown Prince bin Salman joined the Saudi Cabinet. Using his background in private sector finance, he worked for the Experts Commission, which advises the government on technical financial issues.
Saudi law stipulates that every member of the Council must be “a Saudi national by birth and descent; well-known for righteousness and capability” and “not previously convicted for a crime of immorality or dishonor.”
In December 2009, age 24, the Deputy Crown Prince's political career really began.
He became a special advisor to his father, who was still the governor of the Riyadh Province. From here he quickly climbed the ladder, becoming secretary-general of the Riyadh Competitive Council and a member of the board of trustees for Albir Society in the Riyadh region within a year.
In October 2011, at 26, he became special advisor to his father Salman bin Abdulaziz, who himself was now the Deputy Crown Prince and Defence Minister. During this time Prince Mohammad also showed his philanthropic side, establishing the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Foundation to help disadvantaged youth.
He also took a number trips in the region on behalf of the Saudi regime, such as going to the kingdom of Bahrain to discuss diplomacy.
In 2012 he continued to cement his position, becoming Chief of the Crown Prince Court, and by 2014, aged 28, he became State Minister. By now he seemed destined to follow the same career trajectory as his powerful father.
In January 2015, at 29, he became Saudi Arabia's Defence Minister by appointment of his father — who was now King. He remains the youngest Defence Minister in the world.
On top of this he was also named as the secretary general of the Royal Court, as well as retaining his post as the minister of the state.
In April 2015, aged 29, Prince Mohammad finally became Deputy Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, another appointment by his father and King, making him one of the most powerful men in the Middle East.
Around the same time the new Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman got embroiled in the Yemeni Civil War, launching strikes against Houthi rebels (pictured). Saudi Arabia was accused by Amnesty International of war crimes for its involvement.
Saudi Arabia declared the bombing campaign was over on 21 April this year, with Saudi officials saying they would begin Operation Restoring Hope instead, but the war continues to rage in the region.
In 2015, at only age 29, he also began meeting world leaders and diplomats, including US Secretary of State John Kerry to discuss bilateral relations.
The arms trade of Western governments into the Middle East has been criticised by humanitarian charities. Last year the US approved a $1.29 billion sale of smart bombs to Saudi Arabia.
In June 2015 he met with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to discuss the ongoing crisis in Syria, a war that Saudi Arabia has been reluctant to involve itself in.
Russia soon launched an intense bombing campaign against Syrian rebels, but claimed it had withdrawn in March this year.
By January 2016 Deputy Crown Prince bin Salman courted more Western attention with an interview with The Economist, in which called Iranian protests against executions "strange" and said he wanted a "Thatcher revolution" of privatisation for Saudi Arabia.
He also said he was supporting the idea of more women in the workforce.
In March 2016 he gave another interview to Bloomberg, where he outlined his "$2 trillion megafund" plan to reduce the country's reliance on oil and fundamentally change the Saudi economy. The kingdom currently has a deficit of about $100 billion, and oil prices are still well below $50 a barrel.
Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad added that his economic restructure was at the encouragement of his father.
In the same interview, he said he would support more freedom for women, who can’t drive or travel without permission from a male relative in the kingdom, and that Saudi Arabia’s religious police would be banned from making random arrests.
But by April 2016, not everyone was convinced. The Independent reported that German intelligence labelled him a "political gambler" who could destabilise the Arab world.Other also expressed doubt:
"There was very little that was new in the Saudi government's 'Vision 2030' and there are still several key areas that policymakers have yet to address," said Jason Tuvey, economist for Capital Economics' Middle East, in a note to clients.
The prince will also have to "address criticism over its human rights and social equality record" in order to improve the “link between openness and investment,” according to Andy Critchlow at Breakingviews.
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Read the original article on Business Insider UK. © 2015. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.
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