More needs to be done for peace in West Asia

Mohammed bin Salman’s pro-reform image will not obscure the war in Yemen

On Sunday, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the de facto ruler of the oil-rich desert kingdom, landed in Paris on a two-day visit. He starts his European tour from France after spending three weeks in the US. His engagements while in the US, from meeting Google’s Sergey Brin to Apple’s Tim Cook, attempted to reinforce the image of the crown prince as a reformer. He even traded the traditional keffiyah (headdress) and bisht (gold-trimmed cloak) for a blazer and trousers. There are attempts to change Saudi Arabia, but Salman has to deal in a West Asia that is changing geopolitically. A politically and militarily assertive Saudi Arabia has seen its ties with Qatar deteriorate and flashpoints with Iran are being witnessed across the region, the most deadly being in Yemen.

There is a sliver of hope that Saudi Arabia-Israel ties might be improving. This was why Salman’s interview to The Atlantic, in which he said, “I believe the Palestinians and the Israelis have the right to have their own land”, gave the impression of a breakthrough in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Salman is the first highlevel Saudi Arabian official to make such a public statement, but what dampened the optimism is what he said next: “But we have to have a peace agreement to assure the stability for everyone and to have normal relations.” Salman articulated what Riyadh has been trying to achieve since 2002 through the Arab Peace Initiative — a two-state solution. However, his statement aligns with the views of the Trump administration. It adds to the paranoia in Washington of Iran as a rogue state — in the interview he compared Iran’s supreme leader to Hitler. It also diverts attention from the three-year war he is waging in Yemen.

Protests have welcomed Salman in many western nations. They were seen in London when he was visiting in March. They were seen in many places in the US and now in France. Clearly, Salman will have to do more to change perceptions and bring peace to the region.