The West has extended an open hand to Saudi Arabia's new ruler - Source: Shutterstock
The West endorses Saudi crown prince
MbS’s first visits to the UK and US as crown prince show acceptance there that he’ll be the next Saudi king. But not all Saudis are happy
Since becoming ruler of Saudi Arabia three years ago, King Salman has approved a wide range of changes to the way the country is governed. The most surprising and radical move was the promotion out of obscurity of his young son, Mohammed bin Salman (MbS). In a matter of months, he became defence minister and took over the reins of the energy, economic and security establishments. The final move in his consolidation of power was the removal of crown prince Mohammed bin Naif. MbS was the new heir to throne. Western allies of Saudi Arabia watched with some concern as the king made these jaw-dropping changes. They weren't always reassured by what they saw. The headlong rush into the war in Yemen
Also in this section
9 January 2026
OPEC+ remains on track as output falls, with only Gabon failing to hit its output targets in December, although Kazakhstan’s compliance was involuntary
9 January 2026
The Latin American producer’s crude prospects rely on a multi-pronged approach where even the relatively easy wins will take considerable time, effort and cost
9 January 2026
While many forecasters are reasserting the importance of oil and gas, petrostates should be under no illusion things are changing, and faster than they might think
8 January 2026
Indonesia and Malaysia are at the dawn of breathtaking digital capabilities. Their energy infrastructure must keep up with their ambitions
