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against the odds

Saudi Arabia: The untold story of the rise of Mohammed bin Salman

In depth
This article is part of the dossier: Inside the rise of Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman

By Jihâd Gillon
Posted on Tuesday, 9 February 2021 19:26, updated on Thursday, 11 February 2021 20:06

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at Al Salam Palace in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, Monday, June 24, 2019. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) is probably the most talked about crown prince in the history of the Wahhabi kingdom, in a political culture where leaders are usually careful not to air their dirty laundry in public and fear abrupt decisions and risk-taking above all else.

This is part 1 of a 6-part series

With a track record that includes the war in Yemen, a boycott on Qatar, the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, the detention of leading Saudi figures in the Riyadh Ritz-Carlton and plans to build a futuristic city in the middle of the desert, MBS makes for a very unconventional crown prince.

Also in this in Depth:
diamond in the rough

Saudi Arabia’s MBS: An unlikely prince among the thousands

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman has become one of the most powerful leaders in the Arab world. In the second part of our series, we look back at his childhood.

More money, more power

Saudi Arabia’s MBS: How the crown prince got his start in business

Mohammed bin Salman realised very early on that he would need a great deal of money if he wanted to have any political sway in the Saudi kingdom. Accordingly, he decided to throw himself into the business world in his own bold, rough and tumble way." In the third part of our series, we look at how the teen MBS veered onto a new path.

family rivalry

Saudi Arabia: How MBS deposed his cousin Mohammed bin Nayef as crown prince

Touted as Saudi Arabia’s “prince of counterterrorism”, Mohammed bin Nayef was named crown prince in 2015. His young cousin, Mohammed bin Salman, devised a way to strip him of his title and oust him from the throne. In the fourth part of our series, we look at the events that foreshadowed his cousin's fall.

work hard, play hard

Saudi Arabia: Yachts, top models, Pitbull concert – MBS’s penchant for the good life

Between 2015 and 2017, Mohammed bin Salman spent a cool $1.18bn on an array of prestige purchases. In the fifth part of our series, we look at the Crown Prince's penchant for extravagance.

play to win

How Saudi Arabia’s MBS conquered Twitter and upped his online game

Big into social media, Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman has become an expert at wielding Twitter to consolidate his popularity, squash his critics and manipulate the conversation. In this final part of our series, we look at how he conquered social media.

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