## Pillars of Saudi Arabia The pillars of Saudi Arabia have historically been perceived as... - **Islam** - Custodianship of Mecca and Medina have served to bolster SA's legitimacy. - Wahhabism, an ultraconservative form of Sunni Islam. - **Monarchy** - One of the few remaining absolute monarchies. - Founder of modern Saudi Arabia: King Abdulaziz (Ibn Saud). - **Oil** - Oil has historically bolstered SA's geopolitical position and legitimized the kingdom. ## The lead up to MBS **Founding King Ibn Saud, had about 40 sons,** creating a royal family with immense internal complexity. **After his death in 1953, power was transferred horizontally among his sons** rather than vertically (patrilineally). **King Saud (reigning 1953-1964) became the first successor to Ibn Saud** but lacked leadership and administrative skills. As King Saud's mismanagement worsened, Faisal (King Saud's younger brother) and a coalition of influential royal brothers **pressured Saud into a power-sharing arrangement in 1958.** After deposing King Saud, **King Faisal ruled from 1964-1975**, prioritizing oil wealth, launching modernization efforts, and retaining the consensus-based governance but ensuring ultimate power consolidated with him. He was assassinated in 1975. From the 1970s through the 1990s, Saudi Kings (e.g., Fahd and Khalid) **governed through the "committee of power" within the royal family.** King Abdullah ruled from 2005-2015, consolidating power while maintaining the consensus model of governance. The September 9, 2011 attacks were a turning point for SA. 15 of 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals, drawing global attention. This pressured the monarchy to assert more control over religious institutions and extremist groups. During the 2011 Arab Spring protests, SA positioned itself as a bulwark of stability, avoiding mass uprisings and countering uprisings elsewhere in the Gulf (e.g., Bahrain). ## Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) challenges the old order **King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, MBS's father, is the current (2024) King of Saudi Arabia,** coming to power in 2015. King Salman immediately appointed MBS as Deputy Crown Prince. **In 2017, MBS deposed Mohammed bin Nayef (MBN) as Crown Prince.** **MBN was subsequently placed under house arrest.** _**Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) is challenging the old order, replacing Wahhabi dominance with a nationalism-modernization narrative.**_ **MBS shifted the monarchy's power from consensus-based governance to a consolidated, authoritarian governance.** No longer encumbered by committee rule, MBS has made many swift, risk-embracing changes. Shortly after Donald Trump's election, and at the advice of Jared Kushner, MBS began to cozy up to the Trump admin. The Saudis secured massive defense and arms deals, and the US took a harder line against Iran. After the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, the Trump admin refrained from directly blaming MBS, despite CIA assessments of his involvement. Once a counterbalance to royal authority, **MBS has neutered the power of the ulama.** Conservative clerics previously dictated social life. Now, MBS has aligned with clerics who support his agenda and sidelined the religious police. Before MBS, fun was basically outlawed in the country. Now, people are having raves, attending concerts, and enjoying other pop culture. MBS has also allowed women to drive. Interestingly, there has been no backlash from citizens to MBS's changes. **MBS has ambitious economic and social goals via his Vision 2030,** which aims for economic diversification, reducing reliance on oil; partial implementation of privatization; modernize society to attract foreign investment; and fund initiatives like Neom, a futuristic smart city.