国产视频

In Short

A Prince’s Power Plays

Saudi Arabia
Jim Mattis / Flickr.com

If you鈥檇 planned on unwinding with a signature diamond magnetic facial at the聽Ritz-Carlton聽in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, in the coming weeks, a call to your travel agent is in order. The spa is closed. The entire hotel, in fact, is on lock-down after the arrest of several prominent Saudi businessmen and politicians on anti-corruption charges earlier this month, at the behest of heir apparent to Saudi Arabia鈥檚 throne, Mohammad bin Salman, or MBS. At just 32 years old, the prince鈥檚 political offensives, which supporters call courageous and detractors decry as imperious, have already marked an important pivot on the international stage.

The people arrested are believed to be held in the Ritz-Carlton, following the unexplained shuttering of the hotel to the public. Among the luxurious hotel鈥檚 most prominent guests is investor and philanthropist Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, one of the world鈥檚 richest men and a well-known Wall Street fixture, worth, according to Forbes, some . According to the, the probe has turned up evidence that at least $100 billion in Saudi public funds had been channeled to the private coffers of the arrested elites.

But the sweep represents a power play much bigger than frozen assets and demoted billionaires. Emboldened by the United States鈥 support and its hard stance on Iran, MBS has launched a litany of strong-handed maneuvers in recent weeks鈥攁nd, more than that, he appears to be pulling up the curtains on a turbulent new chapter in the region.

While the fate of bin Talal鈥檚 billions, which include shares in Twitter and Citigroup, have been the focus of public speculation in recent days, it鈥檚 the bellicose remarks aimed at Iran鈥檚 capital of Tehran that should have people talking鈥攁nd worrying.

Apart from cleaning-house in the kingdom, MBS and the Saudi diplomatic corps have ramped up anti-Iran rhetoric over the past few days,. Indeed, many observers are watching to see whether long-simmering tensions between Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shi鈥榠te Iran will boil over, scalding the region.

And, already, anxieties are escalating. Twice last week, Riyadh accused Iran and its proxies of 鈥渁cts of war,鈥 first when it a missile launched by Yemen鈥檚 Houthi rebels, who are supported by Iran, and then again when the United States issued a statement saying that the missile had聽鈥.鈥 In addition, Saudi Arabia has ordered its citizens out of Lebanon, claiming that the Beirut government has effectively 鈥渄eclared war鈥 on the kingdom by embracing Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia-turned-political party, as a legitimate state actor. The announcement followed the resignation of Lebanon鈥檚 Saudi-backed prime minister, Saad Hariri. Hariri earlier this month while on a trip to Riyadh, citing Hezbollah鈥檚 militarized presence throughout the Arab world as the reason. But pundits and the Lebanese public are skeptical, and believe that Hariri, long seen as a weak Sunni counterweight to Shi鈥榠te Hezbollah, was forced out by MBS. (Which is why, on Tuesday, Lebanon鈥檚 foreign minister that 鈥渢he only thing that proves [Hariri] is free is that he returns.鈥)

So: Lebanese politicians, Yemeni missiles, posh hotels鈥攖hey matter beyond the region, too.

Aside from the that increased political volatility would take on a region already rattled by of conflict, the United States, arguably Saudi Arabia鈥檚 most indispensable ally, has thrown its support behind MBS, and is potentially barreling into another imbroglio.

Two days after the Ritz roundup, President Donald Trump put to rest doubt about Washington鈥檚 support for the young prince鈥檚 political project. 鈥淚 have great confidence in King Salman and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, they know exactly what they are doing,鈥 Trump tweeted.

The tweet came only a few days after Jared Kushner, 国产视频 son-in-law and senior advisor, returned from an unannounced trip to Riyadh, where he is to have stayed up until the early hours of the morning discussing strategies with MBS.

In light of Washington鈥檚 backing, and with Israel born from a shared desire to punish Iran, there鈥檚 a startlingly real possibility that MBS is set to make the Middle East a lot hotter. The United States, meanwhile, could find that it鈥檚 on course to land itself in the middle of a new cycle of regional conflict. (Already, the war in Yemen has stretched into its third year.)

The United States, for its part, must tread carefully. While many Saudis, particularly young Saudis, seem to back MBS鈥 crackdown (and this is to say nothing of their support for his bold vision of social change), unscrupulous or unconditional support from Washington鈥攐r, more specifically, from tweets鈥攃ould encourage Saudi mission creep, both domestically and internationally. In June, for instance, Saudi Arabia led a diplomatic boycott of Qatar, a move that threatens to nudge the country even closer to autocratic regimes in Iran and Turkey.

Political poise is more important considering that the United States has already helped to set the stage for turmoil: Last spring, it with Saudi Arabia worth $100 billion, three times the GDP of Yemen, where Saudi warplanes have been dropping bombs since 2015.

This isn鈥檛 to say that Saudi Arabia鈥檚 attempt to clamp down on rampant corruption shouldn鈥檛 be applauded. However, the tenuous state of the region calls for caution on all sides. Anything less risks stability in the long term鈥攁nd doesn鈥檛 do聽favors for either America or Saudi Arabia.

More 国产视频 the Authors

Elise Knutsen
A Prince’s Power Plays