Saudi Arabia's Radical Crown Prince
The Briefing Room
BBC
4.8 • 731 Ratings
🗓️ 30 November 2017
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Can Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince radically change the kingdom?
Mohammed bin Salman is an ambitious new leader who wants to reshape his country's politics, economy and society. But he faces strong opposition both at home and abroad.
David Aaronovitch examines his plans and asks whether they'll work.
Joining the discussion this week:
Nicolas Pelham, Middle East correspondent for The Economist and author of 'Holy Lands, A New Muslim Order'
Rasha Qandeel, presenter of BBC Arabic Newsnight
Safa al-Ahmad, an award-winning Saudi Arabian journalist .
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the briefing room with me, David O'ronovich. In this podcast, you open the auditory door, |
| 0:06.5 | come in and find out what's going on in the world. And please, let us know what you think by writing a |
| 0:11.6 | review or rating us on iTunes or your podcast provider. If you're minded to do so, please recommend |
| 0:17.2 | us to anyone you can think of, really. Also, if you enjoy this podcast, you might enjoy other editions of the briefing room, |
| 0:23.9 | from Trump to China to the world of AI. |
| 0:27.7 | This week, I'm getting briefed on the radical changes being made by Saudi Arabia's |
| 0:32.3 | young and charismatic new crown prince. |
| 0:35.8 | Enjoy. |
| 0:43.9 | Music charismatic new crown prince. Enjoy. Imagine waking up on a Sunday morning |
| 0:46.4 | to the news that dozens of the highest profile people in the country, |
| 0:50.5 | including ministers, billionaire business leaders |
| 0:53.1 | and even members of the royal family, |
| 0:55.4 | have been arrested and locked up in a luxury hotel. |
| 0:58.7 | It's like a movie. |
| 1:00.0 | And it happened in Saudi Arabia earlier this month. |
| 1:03.5 | The purge was ostensibly part of an anti-corruption drive |
| 1:06.8 | by the country's new crown prince, Mohamed bin Salman. |
| 1:14.5 | And the young prince is shaking things up in other ways too. |
| 1:20.1 | In September, it was announced that from next year, women would be allowed to drive. |
| 1:23.9 | Driving is a symbol of change in Saudi Arabia. |
| 1:30.3 | Driving for us is an act to consider us full citizens in our country. It was a big surprise and just one part of a push for more social freedom in the kingdom, |
| 1:36.3 | a place where the religious police, known as the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, |
... |
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