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By : Mashari Althaydi

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:: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz was given his first official duty when he was appointed governor of Riyadh in 1954. He was then 19 years old. According to the official records, he was born in 1935.

Now, his son Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is appointed as the Saudi Crown Prince. He is in his 33rd year as he was born in 1985.

King Salman’s father, the grandfather of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, founder King Abdulaziz got to Riyadh, inaugurating the third Saudi state’s project in 1902 at the age of 26 or 27 as there seems minor differences in his registered date of his birth.

Therefore, the Saudi state has always dealt with young men in facing challenges and in charting their course for the future. It has always drawn the future without waiting for others to do it.

King Salman recently took a decision to appoint Mohammed bin Salman as the Crown Prince in place of Mohammed bin Nayef, a noble man and the protector of security. Mohammed bin Nayef appeared personally to pledge allegiance to his successor and praise a major decision that will define the future of Saudi Arabia and the region.

Saudi Arabia today is critical for maintaining a balance in the Middle East region, especially for the Arabs. It is an active member in the consolidation of world peace with a duty toward the Arabs, Muslims and the whole world

Mashari Althayidi

No stranger to the world

Mohammed bin Salman was no stranger to the local, regional and global political scenes, even before being appointed as the Crown Prince.

He studied law at King Saud University, the most prominent university in the region. He then worked as a consultant for the Experts Commission in the government and worked as an advisor to his father in Riyadh.

He was appointed as Minister of State during King Abdullah’s reign and Minister of Defense under King Salman and also the Chief of Royal Court. He later on was appointed Deputy Crown Prince.

In an interview to American journalist David Ignatius, Prince Mohammed bin Salman said: “I am a young man, and young people in Saudi Arabia are tired of the post 1979 era; we want to get out of this whirlpool, we want the work for the future.”

For those who follow his work, whether those announced in the media or told to his visitors, the man knows what he is doing. He has mastered the art of transitioning Saudi Arabia under Vision 2030.

He has no time to waste. Saudi Arabia today is critical for maintaining a balance in the Middle East region, especially for the Arabs. It is an active member in the consolidation of world peace with a duty toward the Arabs, Muslims and the whole world.

Add to it the fact that Saudi Arabia is a young country that knows what it has to do to streamline the energy of its people for intellectual and material purposes.

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Saudi journalist Mashari Althaydi presents Al Arabiya News Channel’s “views on the news” daily show “Maraya.” He has previously held the position of a managing senior editor for Saudi Arabia & Gulf region at pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat. Althaydi has published several papers on political Islam and social history of Saudi Arabia. He appears as a guest on several radio and television programs to discuss the ideologies of extremist groups and terrorists. He tweets under @MAlthaydy.

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Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in the Column section are their own and do not reflect RiyadhVision’s point-of-view.

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