Well-informed economic sources revealed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has presented a proposal for hosting Expo 2030 to the General Assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), currently taking place in Paris, France.
The plan, which carries a budget of $7.8 billion, aims to promote MBS’s foreign image as a pragmatic diplomatic figure, especially following the recent Iran deal.
The sources pointed out that $10 million was already disbursed a few days ago to finance lobbies and pressure groups in the United States and Europe with the aim of boosting MBS’s image.
Millions of dollars were spent over the past a few months on propaganda campaigns with the aim of covering up MBS’s poor human rights record at home and abroad.
One of these targeted lobbying centers is the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington (CSIS), which has been active in publishing pro-MBS materials.
MBS has long been accused of using sport to whitewash his poor human rights record at home and abroad.
Sportswashing is a term used to describe corrupt or authoritarian regimes who use sport and sports events to whitewash their image internationally.
MBS’s sporting ventures in recent years have included the purchase of Premier League club Newcastle United FC, while it has hosted major boxing matches and golf tournaments.
The Kingdom also hosted several international sports events, including the Formula 1, the Spanish Super Cup, and financed others such as LIV Golf.
It is worth to mention that Cristiano Ronaldo’s US$430 million deal to join state-owned Saudi football club Al Nassr FC included boosting Crown Prince’s image.
The shocking reports on MBS’s huge spending on sports events have drowned sharp criticism among Saudis, especially that it harmed the Kingdom instead of boosting its image.
This huge spending on sports projects, while Saudi Arabia’s unemployment and poverty rate continue to rise, sparks widespread controversy in the Kingdom.
Since taking office, MBS has made nothing worthful for the Saudi society but wars and crises. In contrast, Saudi Arabia has witnessed an unprecedented economic and political crisis.
Analysts have questioned the heavy spending of MBS over the past years, saying that a fire-hose of investment may transform the kingdom’s economy—or deplete its coffers
Six years ago, almost no one outside Saudi Arabia had heard of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), an entity that held government stakes in blue-chip firms and had fewer employees than a typical supermarket.
Today, it aspires to become the world’s largest sovereign-wealth fund. It spent billions last year on foreign investments, buying stakes in Western oil firms and cruise lines and even bidding for Newcastle United, an English football club.
