In the context of Middle Eastern developments, Saudi Arabia emerges as a significant focus due to the rapid rise of Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud, the Crown Prince since June 2017. At 32, he holds multiple influential positions including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, making him the youngest defense minister globally. As the power behind his aging father, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Prince Mohammad is driving a massive reform program aimed at returning Saudi Arabia to a moderate form of Islam and transforming it into an open society that empowers citizens and attracts investors. Prince Mohammad has openly criticized the ultra-conservative state of the past thirty years, attributing it to rigid doctrines following the 1979 Iranian Revolution. He asserts a commitment to moderate Islam, open to the world and all religions, emphasizing that with 70% of Saudis under 30, the kingdom will not waste another three decades on extremist ideologies but will combat them immediately. His bold stance challenges Islamic extremists across the Middle East and beyond. Among his notable actions, Prince Mohammad has partially broken the alliance between hardline clerics and the House of Saud by detaining over 200 Saudi elites on corruption charges in a luxury hotel in Riyadh, aiming to separate mosque and state. Militarily, under his leadership, Saudi Arabia initiated its largest-ever intervention in Yemen and imposed a blockade on Qatar for its ties with Iran and Islamist groups. Socially, he has rescinded bans on women driving and entering sports stadiums, scaled back guardianship laws, and supported public entertainment like jazz concerts, Comic-Con, and movie theaters to engage the youth and curb extremism. Economically, his vision is to diversify away from oil dependency into a vibrant, open economy, facing challenges like a poor work ethic, regulatory constraints, and resistance to change. The planned sale of five percent of Saudi Aramco could be pivotal, potentially the largest initial public offering in history. However, success hinges on broad social and religious reforms to attract Western investment, as Saudi Arabia lacks the funds to shift from petro-dependence independently. While a stable, moderate Saudi Arabia holds promise, the potential backlash from hardline conservatives, possibly through Islamic terrorism against the state, remains a significant concern for the region's future dynamics.

In the context of monitoring significant developments in the Middle East, attention should be directed towards Saudi Arabia, particularly to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman al Saud. As the heir apparent since June of the previous year, Prince Mohammed holds critical positions as Deputy Prime Minister, Defense Minister, and Chief of the House of Saud Royal Court, while also chairing the Council for Economic and Developmental Affairs. Described as the power behind the throne of his father, King Salman, he is driving a massive reform program to return Saudi Arabia to a moderate form of Islam and transform it into an open society that empowers citizens and attracts investors. Prince Mohammed has openly criticized the conservative nature of Saudi Arabia over the past thirty years, attributing it to rigid doctrines in reaction to the Iranian revolution. He asserts a commitment to moderate Islam, open to the world and all religions, and has declared an immediate intent to combat extremist thoughts, especially considering that seventy percent of Saudis are under thirty. His actions include breaking the alliance between hardline clerics and the House of Saud, rounding up two hundred elite members on corruption charges, and detaining them in a luxury hotel in Riyadh. His reforms challenge societal taboos by lifting bans on women driving and entering sports stadiums, scaling back guardianship laws, and establishing an Islamic Center to certify authentic sayings of the prophet Mohammed to curb extremism. Additionally, he promotes public entertainment like concerts and has lifted a decades-long ban on movie theaters to address the boredom among the youth, which often leads to extremism. Economically, Prince Mohammed aims to diversify Saudi Arabia from its near-total dependence on oil into a varied, open economy, facing obstacles like a poor work ethic, a crippling regulatory environment, and reluctance to change. The planned sale of a five percent stake in Saudi Aramco is pivotal to funding these reforms, potentially becoming the largest initial public offering in history. Despite these promising changes, the presence of hardline conservatives in religious and governmental spheres poses a risk of counteraction through Islamic extremism and terrorism within the Kingdom.