Extreme Wealth – Episode 6: Jonathan Rugman and the Stunning Power Plays of MBS
Bribe, Swindle or Steal
Alexandra Addison-Wrage of TRACE International
4.9 • 582 Ratings
🗓️ 30 October 2024
⏱️ 47 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The sudden ascent of Mohammed bin Salman from an obscure royal heir to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia — the country's de facto ruler — has fascinated Jonathan Rugman, an author and longtime correspondent in the Middle East. Jonathan's latest BBC documentary, "The Kingdom," traces MBS's life from an unruly youth to a series of Machiavellian maneuvers to cut ahead of cousins and uncles in the line of royal succession. Jonathan's reporting illuminates a brash but secretive young autocrat whose wealth and power have few equals anywhere on the planet. After years of high-profile murder, jailings, and crackdowns, a formidable question remains: What more does MBS want?
Jonathan Rugman is a Visiting Lecturer in the journalism department at City, University of London, who has reported from some 50 countries during his 30-year journalism career. He is the author of "Ataturk's Children – Turkey and the Kurds" and "The Killing in the Consulate," in which he investigated the murder of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. His numerous awards include a BAFTA for his coverage of the Paris terror attacks of 2015.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | When he becomes Crown Prince, he begins spending money because that's what you do if you're a Saudi Prince. |
| 0:10.0 | He spends over $400 million on a yacht that's owned by a Russian vodka tycoon. |
| 0:16.0 | He buys a modern chateau near Paris. |
| 0:20.0 | He buys the Salvatore Mundi, this painting for $450 million. |
| 0:24.6 | He engages in public displays of wealth because that is what is expected of him. |
| 0:30.6 | But his mission is to make Saudi Arabia a very powerful country. |
| 0:36.6 | And like many virtual dictators, where the state |
| 0:39.5 | begins and where NBS ends, they're interchangeable. |
| 0:43.5 | Welcome back to the podcast, Rhybe, swindle or steel. I'm Alexander Rogi, and today we bring |
| 0:49.0 | you another in our ongoing series about the impact of extreme wealth. As in past episodes, we're speaking with |
| 0:55.3 | guests who have a unique portal into this world and have been willing to share their thoughts |
| 0:59.7 | on how it changes the rules that people live by. |
| 1:08.5 | We continue our series on extreme wealth today with our guest, Jonathan Rugman. |
| 1:13.4 | Jonathan is the author of The Killing in the Consulate, investigating the life and death of |
| 1:18.0 | Jamal Khashoggi. |
| 1:19.4 | He's also the consultant producer on the two-part BBC documentary, The Kingdom, the world's |
| 1:24.6 | most powerful prince, which traces Mohammed bin Salman's rise from the |
| 1:28.6 | fringe of royal family power to the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia. Thank you for joining me, |
| 1:34.1 | Jonathan. |
| 1:34.8 | It's a pleasure. |
| 1:35.9 | You've spent a lot of time thinking about Muhammad bin Salman. Can you give us your impression |
| 1:41.1 | of the crown prince at a very high level? We'll talk first about what he's done, |
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