Recently, the Wilson Centre issued a book about Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, titled “Mohammed bin Salman: The Icarus of Saudi Arabia?”
The announcement of the book coincides with the third anniversary of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered by elements of the Saudi state apparatus in his country's consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.
The book sheds light on the way the Saudi crown prince thinks and analysis the complexities of his dictatorial personality and deviant behaviour, according to the writer's vision.
In the chapters of the book, the author asked: Is Bin Salman fit to be king? Is the Saudi crown prince a man of general vision, or is he traversing his way through the hypocrisy of world powers, to buy his position from them with money? Is he really a social reformer determined to bring his country into the twenty-first century? Or just another brutal dictator on the list of dictators ruling the region? Is he a leader on the path to greatness, or just a leader who was allowed by fate to follow the path of Icarus?
These questions were addressed in his book by the veteran foreign correspondent in the Washington Post, David Ottaway, who authored the book, to shed light on more than half a century of monitoring and documenting, in a vigorous attempt to understand the wheel of governance in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and to understand the entity and mentality of the Crown Prince, Mohamed bin Salman, who is preparing to rule the country for decades to come.
In his statement on the book, Ottaway said: I have spent more than half a century observing and reporting on Saudi politics. I believe that bin Salman will be a king who has no scruples to stop him from committing any bad behavior, and he will be just another brutal dictator.
At the same time, the French intelligence website “Intelligence Online” described some characteristics of Mohamed bin Salman, saying: “Whoever meets with the Saudi crown prince describes him as a cold, rude, blunt person, who is looking to satisfy his political ambitions, to improve his image among members of his clan.
In its report on the Neom city project and the reasons for the delay in its delivery, it described the Saudi crown prince as a highly reckless and brutal person.
The website added that the completion of the city of NEOM and its delivery will be delayed for a long time, which angers the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The CNN report also said that tens of thousands of migrant workers for the construction of NEOM are fleeing from work because of what they suffer from the exploitation imposed by the authorities of MBS, which is what millions of other workers are exposed to in the kingdom that has a black record due to the mistreatment of foreign workers, and the worst of this treatment is represented in the exploitative sponsorship system, which leaves workers under the mercy of their employers, without protection from the state, akin to the era of slaves.
The report also indicated that construction workers at the sites lack occupational safety mechanisms are exposed to very high temperatures, and for long hours, in addition to the late payment of their wages, which leaves them trapped in debt, and unable to leave the Kingdom.
