Bonus: The Global Story - Mohammed bin Salman: The unstoppable prince?
Global News Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 8.3K Ratings
🗓️ 25 August 2024
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This is a bonus episode from The Global Story. Mohammed bin Salman: The unstoppable prince?
After ruthlessly outmanoeuvring hundreds of rivals, Mohammed bin Salman has become the most powerful man in Saudi Arabia. The crown prince believes his sweeping vision for the country will bring in investment, top flight sport and visitors from around the world. His only demand in return... absolute loyalty. So, is MBS unstoppable?
On this episode Caitríona Perry speaks to Jonathan Rugman, journalist and producer of a new documentary “The Kingdom: The World’s Most Powerful Prince”, which shines a fresh light on how he got to power and how far he’ll go to maintain it. They are also joined by the BBC World Service Arab Affairs Editor Sebastian Usher, who has spent time in Saudi Arabia for many years.
Listeners in the UK can watch “The Kingdom: The World’s Most Powerful Prince” on iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m001zprm/the-kingdom-the-worlds-most-powerful-prince
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Producers: Richard Moran and Alix Pickles.
Sound Engineer: Mike Regaard and Jack Graysmark.
Assistant Editor: Sergi Forcada Freixas.
Senior Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, this is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Janet Jalil and I'm here to introduce you to the global story, a |
| 0:07.4 | podcast which brings you a single story in depth with insight from the BBC's best journalists. |
| 0:13.2 | There's a new edition every weekday. |
| 0:15.6 | Just search for the global story wherever you get your podcast |
| 0:18.9 | and be sure to subscribe so you don't miss a single episode. |
| 0:23.0 | Here's my colleague, Katrina Perry. |
| 0:26.0 | Today, the rapid rise of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. |
| 0:35.0 | After ruthlessly out-manuevering hundreds of rivals, |
| 0:39.0 | MBS became next in line to the throne and the most powerful man in Saudi Arabia. |
| 0:46.0 | He believes his sweeping vision for the country will bring in investment, top flight sport, |
| 0:51.8 | and visitors from around the world. |
| 0:53.9 | His only demand in return, absolute loyalty. |
| 0:58.1 | Can anything stop you? |
| 1:00.1 | Motokut. |
| 1:01.3 | Only death. So where does he want to take the country and is he truly unstoppable? |
| 1:10.0 | Our guests today, Jonathan Rugman, a journalist and producer of a new two-part |
| 1:15.0 | documentary that tells the story of MBS, The Kingdom, The World's Most Powerful |
| 1:19.9 | Prince. Hi Jonathan, and Sebastian Usher, the BBC's Arab Affairs editor. Hi Sebastian. |
| 1:26.0 | Hi there. Just how powerful is MBS in Saudi Arabia in 2024? Officially, what is his role of Sebastian? Well he's the crime. in which I mean in the system that Saudi Arabia has is not the most important but it gives |
| 1:45.8 | him an extra kind of credibility and it's often the way that he's referred to by his supporters. I mean he's essentially de facto ruler of Salier |
| 1:55.4 | Aban has been pretty much for the past gosh the last six seven eight years or |
| 2:00.9 | so I mean although it wasn't formalized, and to some extent, it still isn't quite |
... |
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