Mohammed Bin Salman and his Foreign Policy: Shifting Tendencies in his Quest for Legitimacy

Abstract

The unexpected irruption of the young Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) into the highest levels of the Saudi political arena has been accompanied by his decision to distance his regime from the two traditional pillars of the Al-Saud rule: Wahhabism and royal family consensus. This has shaken the foundations of Saudi power dynamics, forcing MBS to find alternative sources of legitimacy. Departing from this idea, this research paper aims to assess to what extent Foreign Policy has been one of the tools used in his personal quest for legitimacy. Through the analysis of the main decisions taken since his rise to power, two divergent tendencies have been identified, shifting from an assertive approach and the promotion of a strong and decisive leadership, towards the prioritization of regional stability. The assassination of the Saudi dissident, Jamal Khashoggi, in 2018 has been established as the turning point for such shift, triggering changes in the Kingdom’s historical alliances as well. The Western condemnation of the events opened the door for China to pursue a closer political partnership with the Gulf country, which is now in tension with the renewed Western interest to rekindle relations after the energy repercussions derived from the Ukrainian War and the increasing rivalry between the US and China.