The future of Saudi

It is unusual for the visit of anyone other than a head of state to be afforded such interest and high-level access as that to Britain this week of Mohammed bin Salman. But the young Saudi Crown Prince, universally known as MBS, is more than the heir to his father’s throne; he is arguably the most consequential figure in current Middle East politics.

Largely at his instigation, Saudi Arabia is in the throes of abandoning its decades-long religious and political conservatism in favour of a more moderate and open approach. This is important not just in the context of internal policies but also in Saudi’s relationship with the outside world. Criticism that the desert kingdom has helped export violent jihadism to the West has caused damage to the country’s reputation that the crown prince is anxious to repair.

Domestically, Saudi women are being given greater economic freedoms and tentative steps are being taken towards greater political participation. Internationally, the aim is to do more to tackle the Islamist extremism that threatens the House of Saud as well as the West. Moreover, the great enemy of Saudi Arabia is Iran, whose growing influence in the region is alarming other Arab states and Israel.

The Crown Prince is a pragmatist: he knows that the power of oil is waning in a more carbon-free world. Saudi Arabia will need to modernise and diversify if it is to prosper as much in the next 50 years as it has in the past 50. Saudi Arabia is important to the UK as a defence partner, a market, a substantial investor and as a bulwark against the Islamist extremists who would do us all harm. MBS is a welcome guest to our shores.