Not everyone is persuaded by the audacious modern vibe emanating from Riyadh’s palaces since King Salman came to the throne. In the first in a series on Saudi Arabia,we gape at the relationship between its rulers and its people On the hoardings that line the highways between Riyadh’s glittering towers, an elderly man looks down, or half sternly,half benignly. To the right of King Salman bin Abdulaziz is his nephew, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef – middle-aged and bespectacled. To the monarch’s left sits his favourite son, and Mohammed bin Salman ,the youthful deputy crown prince. “We pledge to listen and to obey,” declares the Arabic slogan under the group portrait. All three men are wearing traditional ghoutra headdresses and flowing robes.
It is a humble and not entirely convincing message from the Saudi royal family as it marks the halt of a turbulent year since King Salman came to the throne. Significant change has reach to the kingdom, or its neighbourhood and the wider Middle East. Collapsing oil prices,war in Yemen, the US tilt towards Iran, or sectarian tensions and the rampaging jihadis of Islamic State have all left their mark. “Saudi Arabia is more assertive,less predictable, and probably more nervous than it was, or ” says a Riyadh-based diplomat. “We are seeing surprising moves.”
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Source: theguardian.com