by Khaled Hamoud Alshareef
All in all, the western intelligence campaign to demonize Mohammed bin Salman has been a complete disaster.
The western intelligence campaign to demonize Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, has been a colossal failure. Despite their best efforts, bin Salman has emerged as a visionary, modernizing leader who has transformed his country into a regional powerhouse.
The West’s attempts to portray MBS as a ruthless dictator have only served to boost his popularity and strengthen his hold on power.
One of the reasons that the western intelligence campaign failed is that the Crown Prince is genuinely popular with the Saudi people. When he launched his ambitious Saudi Vision 2030 project, he won the hearts and minds of millions of Saudis who were hungry for change.
Instead of being seen as a tyrannical despot, he was hailed as a modernizing force who was ushering in a new era of prosperity and openness.
Another reason that the western intelligence campaign failed is that it was based on a faulty assumption: that the Crown Prince would be easy to manipulate.
The West assumed that because MBS was young and inexperienced, they could pull the strings behind the scenes. But he proved to be a canny operator, able to outmaneuver his opponents and forge alliances with other powerful leaders.
Finally, the western intelligence campaign failed because it was simply too one-sided.
Instead of engaging with MBS and offering constructive criticism, the West seemed determined to see him fail. This only made him more determined to succeed, and he has gone on to achieve remarkable things in a very short amount of time.
All in all, the western intelligence campaign to demonize Mohammed bin Salman has been a complete disaster. Instead of weakening his grip on power, it has only made him stronger.
And instead of tarnishing his reputation, it has only served to enhance it. Bin Salman is now recognized as one of the most important leaders in the Middle East, and he is poised to lead his country to even greater heights in the years to come.
Article first published on Khaled Business.
Khaled Homoud Alshareef holds PhD in Business and he earned Masters in Philosophy. He often writes about Islamism, Islamist factions and modern Terrorism. He tweets under @0khalodi0.
