BIOGRAPHY:

Muhammad bin Salman al Saud or Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, born on August 31, 1985. He holds the position of deputy prime minister of the country under his father, King Salman, being the youngest defense minister in the world in history.

Muhammad bin Salman also holds the position of chairman of the MiSK charitable foundation, which helps young people, also heads the royal court and presides over the Council for Economic Affairs and Development of his state. In 2017, he became head of the Saudi Anti-Corruption Committee. Muhammad bin Salman’s brother, Turki bin Salman, serves as Chairman of SRMG’s Research and Marketing Group.

Childhood and education:

The birthplace of Muhammad bin Salman al Saud is Jeddah. His mother Fahda bint Falah ibn Sultan Al Hitlayan is the third wife of King Salman.

Speaking about himself, in an interview with Western sources, Prince Muhammad bin Salman noted that two factors influenced the development of his personality in childhood: the fact that he was of royal descent, as well as technology, since he belonged to the generation that was the first to have the chance to learn, What is the Internet and how to access it. Prince Muhammad bin Salman al Saud described his generation as people who think differently, whose dreams are completely different.

Since Muhammad’s father was very fond of reading himself, he taught his children to read, gave them assignments to read one book a week, and after that talked with the children about what they had read. The mother was responsible for ensuring that the children developed their skills as much as possible – she invited the best intellectuals to hold discussions with the children. According to the prince, he had very demanding parents, and for Muhammad it was a real disaster to simply be late for dinner. He, along with his brothers, were surprised at how strictly their mother treated her sons, noticing literally any of their mistakes. Over time, Muhammad ibn Salman realized that he became stronger and more confident in himself precisely thanks to such a strict upbringing.

According to Muhammad, he always had to exist in two different worlds, in one of which he was able to be himself, and in the other he had to remember that he was a member of the royal family.

In thinking about himself, Prince Muhammad bin Salman al Saud drew parallels between himself and Steve Jobs, reflecting on how much potential he himself initially possessed and how much he could create if he worked according to the methods of not only the man who created Apple, but also such people like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg.

Mohammed bin Salman’s wife is Princess Sarah bint Mashhour bin Abdalaziz el Saud. From this marriage, the couple have four children – Princes Salman and Mashhour, as well as Princesses Noura and Fahda. Prince Muhammad bin Salman al Saud: the beginning of a political career
Prince Muhammad bin Salman After receiving his bachelor’s degree in law and studying at the Royal University, the prince refused to take a position in the kingdom because he first wanted to organize his own business, start a family and get a master’s degree. His father strongly advised him to take this chance and start working in the government of the kingdom, and the prince devoted the first two years after his studies to changing the laws that regulated the activities of joint-stock companies and companies. In the process of this activity, according to the leadership, the prince has already proven himself to be a highly intelligent specialist and a person intolerant of bureaucracy. During his work, the time required to complete various legal procedures has been reduced many times over.

In 2009, Muhammad, who was counting on the position of minister, was disappointed by King Abdullah’s decision not to give him this position, and was forced to leave for Riyadh. Muhammad ibn Salman al Saud admitted that in Riyadh he was surrounded everywhere by envious people and enemies, and traders who were dissatisfied with the decisions that the prince was promoting began to tell King Abdullah, accusing him of wanting to usurp power. Formally, in 2011, the king appointed Prince Muhammad to the post of Minister of Defense, but he was prohibited from appearing in the ministry. Muhammad ibn Salman al Saud considered this course of events to be the end of his career, but later time will show that the coincidence of circumstances was very successful for the prince, since, working under the leadership of his father, he thoroughly learned the intricacies and nuances of government. Prince Muhammad bin Salman led the province, also gained experience as Secretary General of the Riyadh Provincial Competition Council, and was later appointed as a special adviser to the Archives and Research Department of the King Abdul Aziz Foundation, and also began his membership in the council of trustees in the Riyadh region in the Albir society.

Prince Salman become crown prince:

When Crown Prince Nayef died in 2012, Prince Salman took over the post that Prince Nayef had held, becoming deputy crown prince as well as defense minister, and appointing his son Muhammad as his personal advisor. In the hierarchy of the Saudi royal dynasty, Salman moved up two positions after the death of Crown Prince Nayef, and one of his first decisions was to change the appearance of the Saudi court and give it a new look, for which he appointed his son Muhammad as head of the office under the crown prince. In 2013, the position of head of the Crown Prince’s Court became vacant as Saud bin Nayef was appointed governor of the Eastern Province. As a result of this, Prince Muhammad bin Salman became a minister.

Restoring the king’s confidence, plans and reforms:

Shortly before the death of his uncle King Abdullah, Prince Muhammad bin Salman visited him and the two had a long conversation behind closed doors in the royal palace, which continued for several hours, despite the fact that the king once opposed the prince taking charge of the Ministry of Defense. heeding the advice of those who argued that Muhammad bin Salman al Saud was motivated only by a lust for power. This conversation indicated that a common language had nevertheless been found between the king and the prince, since they were united by the views that in the conditions of the oil crisis and the possible ruin of Saudi Arabia, it was necessary to change the kingdom’s policy.

The king agreed for the prince to plan a reshuffle in the government of the state, as well as carry out reforms in the country’s economy in order to create a “new dream” for a new generation of Saudi citizens in conditions of life based on alternative energy sources. Absolutely all of Muhammad’s decisions were personally approved by King Abdullah – the prince himself repeatedly emphasized this. Muhammad’s father becomes king. A new round of career

Muhammad bin Salman and his father:

Prince Muhammad bin Salman and his father King Salman bin Abdulaziz
When King Abdullah died in Saudi Arabia in 2015, Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud succeeded him to the throne. Prince Muhammad bin Salman, his son from his third wife, became deputy crown prince and received several key positions, that is, he became the king’s right hand. Full control of Saudi Aramco, the Saudi Arabian oil company, passed to him. He also took control of the national investment fund.

The king appointed Muhammad bin Salman as Minister of Defense and Secretary General of the Royal Court. The post of Minister of State also remained with the prince. Also in 2015, Muhammad was appointed chairman of the economic development council, which was founded on the day Muhammad was appointed to the position. This council replaced the abolished Supreme Economic Council.

Because Muhammad concentrated more powers in his hands than those possessed by the crown prince, diplomats in the Western world gave him the nickname “Mr. All” – Prince Muhammad at that time had more political influence than some monarchs.

The prince’s reforms affected the Ministry of Defense of Saudi Arabia: procedures for the purchase of weapons, contract procedures were changed, information technology was transformed, and they also began to approach personnel issues in the Ministry of Defense differently.

During the prince’s tenure as defense minister, he led such a major operation as “Storm of Determination”, which was directed against the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

In 2017, Prince Muhammad headed the Anti-Corruption Committee, which was created specifically, and immediately after his appointment, on his behalf, a series of arrests took place on the day of his appointment – eleven princes were arrested, including Al-Walid ibn Talal, who is one of the richest people in the world. Several ex-ministers were also arrested and were suspected of committing crimes related to corruption.

Saudi Arabia by 2030:

The prince published his plan for the reformation of Saudi Arabia under the title “Saudi Vision 2030,” where he outlined all the social and economic reforms that he planned to carry out on a large scale in the state. The prince’s plans were to create the world’s largest sovereign investment fund, which would have more than two trillion dollars in assets, enough to buy Berkshire Hathaway, Microsoft, Google and Apple. Plans also included creating an IPO of “less than 5% of the shares” of Saudi Aramco, which the prince plans to make the world’s largest industrial conglomerate. This fund is intended to invest in non-oil assets, which will reduce the state’s dependence on oil. According to the prince, it was investments that were supposed to become the main source of government revenue, relegating oil to the background. According to the prince’s plan, within twenty years his reforms were to transform Saudi Arabia into a state whose economy does not depend on oil.

Achieving the results of such a plan will have to involve some unpopular measures and reforms: government subsidies for water, electricity and gas have been cut, plans include the introduction of a VAT, as well as an increase in luxury taxes on those drinks that contain sugar. With the help of these unpopular measures, the budget is expected to be replenished by one hundred billion dollars, and this will be in addition to the funds that will be collected from non-oil revenues by 2020.

Prince Muhammad bin Salman also announced that he is going to give Saudi women more rights – allowing them to drive a car and also travel without being accompanied by a husband or male relative.

Another innovation of the prince was that now people cannot be arrested without the participation of the authorities.

These plans were met with ambiguity by the Saudis, to which the prince responded in an interview that resistance does not frighten him, since since then, when he was accused of wanting to usurp power, he has learned to cope with difficulties, and Sun Tzu’s book “The Art of War” and Churchill’s writings taught him how to take advantage of having opponents.

Prince Muhammad bin Salman al Saud – Person of the Year
According to its readers, Time magazine named Prince Muhammad bin Salman al Saud Person of the Year in 2017, and Forbes magazine ranked him eighth in its ranking of the most influential people in the world.

The prince’s meeting in Moscow with Russian President Putin took place in October 2015 and at the end of May 2017. The conversation concerned the stabilization of the hydrocarbon market, where oil prices have already been stabilized as a result of cooperation in OPEC. This meeting became a preparatory meeting before the visit of the King of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud, which took place in October of the same year: King Salman, accompanied by a thousand-strong retinue, arrived in the Russian capital for several days.

In his free time, Mohammed likes to relax on a yacht in the company of famous guests. Bin Salman’s acquaintances include Oprah Winfrey, Michael Bloomberg, Donald Trump and Theresa May.

Mohammad bin Salman now:

The decision to sharply reduce oil production only added to the tension in relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States. Joe Biden announced certain consequences for the Kingdom, and American journalists claimed that there had previously been agreements between the American president and the crown prince to increase oil production.

Mohammed, in response to the threats, promised to arrange severe economic consequences for the United States if Biden moves from words to deeds and tries to “punish” the Kingdom in any way. According to experts, the conflict between the leaders could also be of a personal nature, provoked by Joe’s desire to impose European values on a Muslim country.

But relations with Russia became more and more productive. In the fall of 2023, Saudi Arabia received approval to join BRICS, of which it became a full member on January 1, 2024. Ibn Salman expressed gratitude to the Russian president for his support in this matter.

At the same time, they started talking about the possibility of normalizing relations between the Kingdom and Israel. Muhammad was concerned about the Palestinian issue and spoke about the beginning of productive dialogues with the Jewish side. However, due to the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East in October after the attack by the Hamas group and the start of the military operation of the Israeli army IDF, the crown prince condemned the aggression in Gaza.

In December of the same year, the Arab prime minister had a personal meeting with Vladimir Putin in Riyadh. The Russian leader noted the stable political interaction between the two countries in various fields.

In his free time, Mohammed likes to relax on a yacht in the company of famous guests. Bin Salman’s acquaintances include Oprah Winfrey, Michael Bloomberg, Donald Trump and Theresa May.