Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Crown Prince and defense minister Mohammad bin Salman spoke to The Economist on January 4th in his first on-the-record interview.
[Full transcript of the interview available here] [Economist leader here]
The interview touched on a wide range of subjects with the son of King Salman, beginning with 7 questions on Saudi Arabia’s relations with Iran. The Deputy Crown Prince said that the executions were far from capricious acts in the Kingdom, and that they were sentenced in a court of law following the appropriate judicial proceedings. “The court doors were also open for any media people and journalists, and all the proceedings and the judicial texts were made public. And the court did not, at all, make any distinction between whether or not a person is Shi’ite or Sunni.”
Mohammed bin Salman also said that a direct war between Iran and Saudi Arabia “is something that we do not foresee at all, and whoever is pushing towards that is somebody who is not in their right mind.”
The Economist then asked the Deputy Crown Prince if he considers Iran to be the Kingdom’s Biggest enemy.
“We hope not,” the Prince responded.
The Economist also asked about the war in Yemen. “You are the architect of the war in Yemen; when will it end?”
The Prince responded with a counterpoint. “First of all I’m not the architect of the Yemen operation. We are a country of institutions.” Eventually the Deputy Crown Prince said that no one can predict the end of war. He citied the rise of Daesh (the self-described ISIS terrorist organization) as an example of an unforeseeable occurrence in the region.
The Deputy Crown Prince also serves as the head of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, a powerful new organization that now oversees much of the Kingdom’s economy. The Economist asked the Prince about being a member of Saudi Arabia’s young demographic while also playing a key role in determining the country’s future.
“The Saudi Arabia that I hope for, as well as the other 70% [of Saudis]: a Saudi Arabia that is not dependent on oil; a Saudi Arabia with a growing economy; a Saudi Arabia with transparent laws; a Saudi Arabia with a very strong position in the world; a Saudi Arabia that can fulfil the dream of any Saudi, or his ambition, through creating enticing incentives, the right environment; a Saudi Arabia with sustainability; a Saudi Arabia that guarantees the participation of everyone in decision-making; a Saudi Arabia that is an important addition to the world and participates in the production of the world, and participates in facing the obstacles or the challenges that face the world. My dream as a young man in Saudi Arabia, and the dreams of men in Saudi Arabia are so many, and I try to compete with them and their dreams, and they compete with mine, to create a better Saudi Arabia.”
The full interview is worth a close read; especially to the global business and investment community (today’s SUSTG Review includes a collection of links to the Economist articles surrounding this interview). It gives an insight into the thinking of one of Saudi Arabia’s most powerful men.
