A new Saudi heir...but don't expect any change

On Saturday 16 June Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud died during surgery in Geneva. Prince Nayef's death left vacant the position of heir to King Abdullah's throne, although the position was not left vacant for long. By 18 June the world's press reported that, following an announcement on Saudi state television, Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, a younger brother of Prince Nayef has been named as the new Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.

Newly appointed Crown Prince Salman

As the current Saudi defence minister (since 2011) and longstanding governor of Riyadh, Prince Salman is used to holding positions of responsibility. This is fortunate indeed, especially as King Abdullah is now 88 years old; Prince Salman could be king before too long.

What can we expect from a Salman-led Saudi Arabia? News reports seem unanimous in reporting that Salman is seen as more progressive and liberal than his late brother. I find this particularly interesting, especially as the world's press seem not to have challenged this image of the new Crown Prince. In the absence of any challenge from the world's more established journalists, I am going to have a go with a very simple line of argument. Salman has been the governor of Riyadh since 1963. Under his governorship Riyadh became progressively stricter and stricter until it eventually earned its status as the strictest city in Saudi Arabia, the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East and the Muslim world. Riyadh is now a strong contender for the accolade of "most oppressive city in the world". I would argue that the man who has governed the city through this transformation seems neither progressive nor liberal.

Despite the world's journalists branding the Crown Prince Salman as a progressive liberal, they have also almost unanimously stated that they don't expect his eventual succession to the Saudi throne (assuming he outlives King Abdullah) to bring about any significant change in the way the country is ruled. On this point the journalists and I are in agreement.