Following the successful and smooth transition of power from Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah to the new King Salman, all eyes are on how the new Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques will navigate the regional and global foreign policy landscape. Although King Salman kept on the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Saudi al Faisal, major changes in the structure of the government and new faces hint at fresh approaches to some of the biggest challenges facing the Saudi government.
Writing in Gulf News, expert Joseph Kechichian addresses the upcoming changes and the “full plate” of challenges for Saudi foreign policy, noting that while King Salman “was part and parcel of the collegial decision-making process for years—with the monarch reaching final decisions after full consultations across the political gamut—he was, nevertheless, elevated to the unenviable position of final arbiter.”
Kechichian:
“Could Riyadh adjust long-held policies and what kind of likely alterations were probable?…Barely a few weeks after his accession, King Salman seemed as resolute as ever to rally the troops and forge ahead. That is why he focused on intra-Gulf relations, both to remove lingering disagreements among GCC ranks as well as to telegraph that Riyadh intended to lead the Arab Gulf monarchies.”
