Dr Ahmed Abdul Malik
Since taking the reins of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia surprised the Saudis and the whole world by changes that seem “drastic” in ruling the Kingdom, by appointing his brother Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz, the youngest son of King Abdulaziz, as the Crown Prince. He appointed Mohammed bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz as Deputy Crown Prince, and also changed the royal crew.
On March 25, King Salman surprised the world by declaring Operation Decisive Storm to restore legitimacy to Yemen after the Houthis had seized it by force. The Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi was forced to exit Yemen for Saudi Arabia in order to preserve his life after the Houthis got closer to his place of residence in Aden.
The air strikes were carried out by the coalition forces, led by Saudi Arabia, aimed to paralyse the Yemeni air aviation controlled by the followers of the ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the Houthis. The coalition has also destroyed the ballistic missile launchers that were in the hands of the outlaws.
At dawn on April 29, 2015, King Salman issued 25 royal decrees that included several important figures in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, most notably Prince Mohammed bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz as Crown Prince. With this appointment, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, born in 1959, became the youngest Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; therefore, he will become the King of Saudi Arabia after King Salman. The royal order also included the appointment of Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz as the Deputy Crown Prince.
Through these new appointments King Salman put the younger generation of the descendants of King Abdulaziz on the track to rule the country, which reflects a new orientation that was never known before in the Saudi ruling family, in terms of historical hierarchy by which the rule of the Kingdom was followed since the formation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in September 1932.
One of the important changes is the stepping down of Prince Saud Al Faisal, the knight of diplomacy and the oldest foreign minister worldwide, after serving in office for more than 40 years, during which he led not only the diplomatic helm of Saudi Arabia, but also the Arab region’s important decisions.
2015 may be a year of surprises in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Sometimes surprises are welcome as they push us towards “restoring hope” in humanitarian, regional and global issues.
The writer is an academician and columnist.
