Mohammed bin Salman: Visionary or Buffoon?

Insight into the character of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince drawn from Bradley Hope’s new book Blood and Oil: Mohammed bin Salman’s Ruthless Quest for Global Power

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I have just finished reading Bradley Hope’s new book Blood and Oil: Mohammed bin Salman’s Ruthless Quest for Global Power. It was quite interesting.

And no, I do not say that because of the oft-quoted salacious details pertaining to Al Saud. The book is interesting because it opens a window into the mind of Mohammed bin Salman, crown prince and de facto autocrat of Saudi Arabia.

One thing that comes across clearly is that Mohammed bin Salman is most certainly ambitious. In the book, it mentions how his childhood friends used to call him “Iskender” after Alexander the Great. That moniker, emanation from the forked tongues of sycophants, does not tell us what his friends really saw in him. However, it does tell us what Mohammed bin Salman likes to hear. It tells us how he sees himself, or perhaps more accurately, how he wants to be seen — a cut above his peers. Other stories in the book detailing his rise to power support this point as well.

Now contrary to what Mark Anthony said, I do not believe that ambition in itself is a…