As a boy, Mohammed bin Salman played video games alone in his family’s palace because Saudi Arabian religious police did not allow public entertainment. The imaginative boy believes that everything that is possible in video games is possible in real life.
Now, as the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, his dreams are the same -the same brave: he is trying to maneuver among Iran, Israel and the United States to bring peace and prosperity to the Middle East. His people have emerged without injury from the 12 -day war between Israel, the US and Iran. Apart from Israel and the US, MBS, as he was called, was a clear winner so far.
But there is a big difference between victory and Israeli and US people: Risk level. Israel risked its survival, Iran risked its nuclear program, and the US risked its global credibility in a 12 -day war. Saudi Arabia is not at risk. Crown Prince Triangulated between the three main countries openly condemned the Israeli attack and secretly urged President Donald Trump to remain out of the war even though he clearly knew that the nuclear and regional ambitions of Iran were a threat to him. In short, MBS played a skilled defensive game and ended the passive winner.
But to secure what he really wants stable areas that focus on prosperity, not only Palestinian-Israel-Israeli complaints need to be a leader who is seen in this region, openly urges its purpose, not cynically to play all parties personally. Unlike Trump, MBS does not crave international spotlight. He once described himself to me as a shy boy that he refused to appear in a second class drama because he could not speak in front of the audience.
At home, MBS opened his term of office as the leader of the royal de facto by prohibiting religious police from Saudi paths and freeing women from joining the royal economy. He followed him by imprisoning relatives and royal entrepreneurs and overthrowing his cousin and replacing him as the crown prince. Today, he firmly holds control at home. He basically can do whatever he wants without triggering visible opposition. But the international arena is far more difficult to play, which has no strength, even great power, is in full control. However, he must secure a greater influence abroad in which his power is more unlessed.
No one has greater financial shares in peace in the Middle East than Saudi Arabia. Prince Mahkota has invested trillions of dollars in his large projects intended to wean the kingdom from dependence on oil income. Protecting the investment from the destruction by Iran or the proxy is a top priority. However, some of these projects are in financial matters precisely because regional chaos has made it difficult to attract foreign investment needed and the expertise needed to realize many of its large projects. For example, the line, the city of mirror 100 miles is the height of the Empire New York state building carried out by AI is now imagined only 1.5 miles in 2030, so expensive and complex is its construction. This futuristic city is the center of Neom, a development in northwestern Saudi Arabia that is imagined as a new high -tech silicone valley. But to achieve that dream, the crown prince needs investment and western-ideal expertise, cooperation with Israeli high technology capabilities.
Foreign investment in the kingdom has been slow. In 2024, direct foreign investment was $ 20.7 billion far below the target of $ 29 billion and was far below the destination of $ 100 billion per year in 2030. War in Gaza since October 2023 might have suppressed the will of international investors to put money into the kingdom. So far, Amazon Web Services, Oracle, and Microsoft together have invested a total of around $ 9 billion in cloud-based technology solutions in Saudi Arabia-a small part of what is needed to achieve MBS ambitions. So, the purpose of the crown prince of regional prosperity requires peace.
To really increase foreign investment into the kingdom almost certainly also requires the Saudis to establish diplomatic relations with Israel. Not only lower tension, making investment safer, but will also create a large land bridge from Asia to Europe. This remains the dream of the Saudi Crown Prince who sees Neom as a sweet spot in this new commercial company built on Israeli technology and Saudi money. He was on the verge of recognizing Israel when the Gaza war broke out, postponed the relations. With Iran weakened, Israel’s clear military power in the region, and President Trump still encouraged Saudi-Israel diplomatic relations, this problem will now reappear.
Iran has long shook the Saudi-Israeli relations using Israel-Palestinian problems as slices. Many Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, support the two countries’ solutions in which Israelis and Palestinians live in independent countries. But Iran, has advocated the destruction of Israel and has helped fund groups like Hamas. So, struggling Iran in the 12-day war can ease the task of Saudi Arabia to recognize Israel.
However, the poll shows that 96% of Saudis opposed diplomatic relations with Israel. Thus, MBS has doubled its public commitment not to recognize Israel until there is an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. ” As a result, MBS now faces many difficult questions. How do you attract the investment he needs to create jobs for the increasing number of Saudis who enter his workforce? How to convince Palestinians to accept the Jewish state? How to convince the Israelites to accept the Palestinian state? And how to react to Trump’s efforts to end the war in Gaza?
Crown Prince has been expert in protecting the development of Saudi Arabia. He restored diplomatic relations with Iran, sharing intelligence with Israel, forming relations with Russia and China, captivating Trump to Saudi for his first foreign visit with a promise to invest $ 600 billion in the US all contradictory steps paid during the 12 -day war. Saudi Arabia avoids. But with Iran much weaker and Israel is much stronger, can he take the opportunity? To do this, Saudi Arabia must switch from passive recipients to active peace bearers.
