Many were surprised when in January 2015, King Salman suddenly appointed his son as Saudi Arabia's defense minister - then unusually young, only 29 years old. Before that, Mohammed bin Salman was almost unknown in international circles. Just a few years later, however, he was declared crown prince, and in 2022 he also became prime minister.
Due to his father's deteriorating health and his own power ambitions, Mohammed bin Salman became the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia and began to radically change the kingdom, according to the German public media ARD.
Less dependent on oil
He realized early on that the power of the absolutist royal house was threatened above all by the end of the oil era. "Our constitution is based on the Koran and oil. This is very dangerous", said Mohammed bin Salman, who was then 30 years old, in a 2016 television interview.
Yes, the kingdom is dependent on oil, which hinders the development of other economic sectors, we read further in the ARD publication. In order to generate money in the future without oil, other areas will have to be developed, such as tourism or the entertainment industry. In 2024, the kingdom decided to allocate 100 billion US dollars for the development of artificial intelligence and other new technologies, the German publication recalls in this regard.
38 billion dollars for "Vision 2030"
With a budget of 38 billion dollars, Saudi Arabia wants to become number one in the global video game industry by 2030. The country, which has been extremely conservative and closed until now, should also open up culturally, which would appeal especially to young people, who are now very dissatisfied.
In 2016, MbS, as Mohammed bin Salman is known, presented "Vision 2030". The state program outlines the social and economic transformation of the country after the oil era. The construction of the city of superlatives Neom occupies a central place in it: The project for a futuristic city in the desert, estimated at 500 billion dollars, includes residential areas, industrial sites, tourist sites, including a ski resort. However, the scale was subsequently drastically reduced for financial reasons, ARD recalls.
More freedoms for women
Another goal pursued by the plan is to increase the proportion of working women. The daily lives of Saudi women began to change in 2018, when strict dress codes were significantly relaxed.
"Sharia law clearly states that women, like men, must dress decently and respectfully. However, this does not mean that a woman must wear a black headscarf," explained Mohammed bin Salman in an interview with the American television channel CBS. According to him, today women in Saudi Arabia can decide for themselves what clothes to wear.
Since June 2018, women have been allowed to drive, and soon after, the ban on going out without the permission of a male guardian was lifted. In many places, gender segregation has also been abolished. And all this happened on the orders of the Saudi Crown Prince.
Neither democracy nor the rule of law
Nevertheless, the activists who fought for these same rights, which have since become a fact, remain in prison. Mohammed bin Salman never intended to turn Saudi Arabia into a democracy with a civil society governed by the principles of the rule of law, comments ARD and recalls that the number of death sentences has even increased significantly. In Saudi Arabia, even today, for a critical post on social media, they are imprisoned for many years. Or they are simply killed, as shown by the case of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was liquidated in 2018, and his body - dismembered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The CIA confirmed that this happened on the personal order of Mohammed bin Salman. He denies and even condemns the murder.
Over the past decade, Mohammed bin Salman has proven himself to be an influential but no less controversial figure. As defense minister, he waged a ruthless, bloody war against the Houthi militias in Yemen, but later initiated an easing of relations with rival Iran.
At home, he improved the situation for women, reopened cinemas and music concerts, and managed to secure his country's hosting of the 2034 World Cup. At the same time, executions continue, and his critics are imprisoned or even killed. Mohammed bin Salman has modernized everything he could - but he has done so as a brutal despot, the German public broadcaster ARD also points out.