Determined to leave his mark on Saudi Arabia's monarchical regime, King Salman has reordered the succession, appointing his nephew as crown prince in place of a half-brother and elevating a younger son as deputy crown prince.
The new crown prince is interior minister Mohamed bin Nayef (55), and his deputy is defence minister Mohamed bin Salman (26), a favourite younger son of the king, who assumed the throne when his half-brother King Abdullah died in January.
The appointments were a surprise as Abdullah had not only chosen as crown prince Muqrin (69), the youngest son of King Abdel Aziz bin Saud, the founder of the dynasty, but had also invented the post of deputy crown prince and named Mohamed bin Nayef for this position. A former intelligence head, Muqrin was seen as a transitional figure between sons and grandsons of Abdel Aziz.
The king also removed foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal who has served in this post for the past 40 years and shaped the kingdom’s foreign policy. He was replaced by Adel al-Jubeir, a commoner and Saudi ambassador to the US.
Sudairi Seven
Although King Salman, who is 79 and ailing, appears to have put his son on the second highest rung on the ladder of succession, it may be too early to say that he has consolidated the hold on power of his branch of the royal family. The king, crown prince and his deputy are descendants of King Abdel Aziz and Hassa bint Ahmad al-Sudairi, who had seven sons, known as the “Sudairi Seven”. The succession had alternated between one of the seven and a non-Sudairi, including late King Abdullah and bypassed Prince Muqrin.
The author of the Saudi anti-terrorism campaign, Prince Nayef is said to be the most powerful figure in the country and is, in fact, in charge of policy at this time. He and defence minister Mohamed bin Salman are responsible for the risky Saudi air campaign against Shia Houthi rebels in Yemen and could face severe criticism if this fails to crush the Houthis or to force them to accept Saudi terms in negotiations. The Sudairis could also face a backlash from excluded branches of the royal family.
New foreign policy
Since assuming power, King Salman and his advisers, including Prince Nayef, have charted a new, more assertive foreign policy for normally cautious
Saudi Arabia
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In addition to the aerial offensive in Yemen, they have stepped up pressure on Iran and boosted aid to fundamentalist insurgents in Syria.
