"The Mysterious Saudi Prince Leading The War In Yemen"+ Shake Up in Saudi Leadership 4/29

[KoKo]

Last edited Wed Apr 29, 2015, 08:27 AM - Edit history (1)

Adding "bemildred's" new post in DU "Latest Breaking News" about the Shake Up in Saudi Royal Court:

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bemildred (81,398 posts)

6. Saudi king, facing challenges in Yemen, fires his successor, foreign minister

ISLAMABAD — Saudi Arabia’s King Salman early Wednesday sacked the man he’d named as his successor, apparently for opposing the kingdom’s military campaign in Yemen, and ordered a generational transfer of power to two relatively younger princes who’ve emerged as key leadership figures during the conflict.

A statement issued by the Saudi royal court at 4 a.m. local time said 69-year-old Muqrin bin Abdul Aziz had been replaced as crown prince and deputy prime minister in response to “his desire to be relieved” from the positions he was appointed to in January, when King Salman assumed power.

The 79-year-old monarch appointed his nephew and interior minister, Mohammed bin Nayef, 55, as the new heir apparent; the king’s 30-year-old son, Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman, was named deputy crown prince.

Another casualty of Riyadh’s early morning reshuffle was the country’s foreign minister, Saud al Faisal, who lost the job he’d held since 1975; he was replaced by the Saudi ambassador to the U.S., Adel al Jubeir, who became the first non-royal to hold the post since 1962.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2015/04/29/264875/saudi-king-facing-challenges-in.html
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"The Mysterious Saudi Prince Leading The War In Yemen"

Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's young and untested defense minister, is a favored royal son, with a PR campaign to match

He is the architect and very public face behind Saudi Arabia’s boldest military campaign in nearly 100 years. But Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s young, newly-minted defense minister, remains a virtually unknown figure at home and abroad.

With a swift and sudden rise to power two months ago, the machinations of Mohammed, King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz’s favored son, remain elusive and his skill untested, even as he leads an aggressive—and escalating—Arab coalition intervention against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. In just a week of fighting, he’s become a poster boy for the Saudi-led military campaign, known as “Operation Decisive Storm,” as well as an embodiment of his country’s recent shift toward a more hawkish foreign policy in the region.

Yet he is a man whose youth and inexperience has left him almost invisible until now. Even the prince’s age is a matter of speculation and debate. Some peg him as young as 27. Others say he could be as old as 35.

“He is a mystery,” says Emile Hokayem, a Middle East analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. More than a half-dozen other analysts and Middle East experts interviewed by Vocativ paint the prince in equally ambiguous terms.

As questions about Prince Mohammed grow, at least one thing is clear, observers say. He’s emerged as one of the most influential players in the House of Saud, and likely the youngest to yield any real influence. After ascending to the Saudi throne in January, his father, King Salman, moved swiftly to consolidate power, appointing the prince to three key cabinet posts. He made Mohammed defense minister and head of a newly-formed economic council. He also placed the prince in the role of chief of the royal court, the equivalent of White House chief of staff.




Prince Mohammed meets with U.S. House Speaker, John Boehner

Prince Mohammed’s youthful gravitas seems to perfectly embody this belief, and his display of military might has already endeared him to many at home. Since Decisive Storm began, Saudi television has continuously broadcast looped footage of the young defense chief directing the war campaign, according to reports. Vocativ reported Tuesday that Saudi social media users have created Prince Mohammed fan pages and uploaded hundreds of photos of him on Twitter, solidifying his role as a poster boy for the military operation.

More at......
http://www.vocativ.com/world/yemen-world/saudi-prince-bombing-yemen/

[KoKo]

1. Kick for new info on Saudi Shake Up...