EconTalk

The Man Who Would Be King of Saudi Arabia (with Karen Elliott House)

February 23, 2026

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  • Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) rapidly consolidated power upon his father's ascension, immediately moving to dismantle established structures by sidelining the religious police and launching a high-profile anti-corruption campaign against elites at the Ritz-Carlton. 
  • MBS's cultural liberalization, including allowing women to drive and work, was primarily motivated by the economic necessity of his Vision 2030 plan to diversify Saudi Arabia away from oil dependence. 
  • The murder of Jamal Khashoggi dramatically derailed MBS's international rehabilitation efforts, shifting his image from a modernizer to a 'thugocracy,' though the internal political landscape remains dominated by his autocratic control. 

Segments

Introduction and Guest Context
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(00:00:02)
  • Key Takeaway: Karen Elliott House’s book focuses on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s motivations, hopes, and contradictions during Saudi Arabia’s modernization.
  • Summary: The EconTalk episode features journalist and author Karen Elliott House discussing her book, The Men Who Would Be King: Mohammed ben Salman and the Transformation of Saudi Arabia. Host Russ Roberts notes the episode will explore MBS’s mix of cultural liberalization and political dominance. House has spent approximately 16 to 18 hours interviewing MBS directly.
MBS’s Rapid Rise to Power
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(00:01:20)
  • Key Takeaway: Unlike typical Saudi crown princes who wait passively, MBS immediately began reorganizing his father’s government upon King Salman’s accession in 2015.
  • Summary: Crown princes in Saudi Arabia usually wait for the king’s death, but MBS, initially just the defense chief of staff, immediately started restructuring the government with his father’s approval. He demonstrated extreme speed, demanding complex reorganizations be completed by the next morning, signaling his ‘young man in a hurry’ approach.
Historical Context of Saudi Rule
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(00:03:14)
  • Key Takeaway: The founding narrative of Saudi Arabia was revised under the current King and MBS to claim the Al Sauds founded the state in 1727 without the help of Muhammad Abdul Wahhab.
  • Summary: The history of Al Saud rule includes periods of violent removal by brothers and cousins, establishing a precedent for internal power struggles. The founder of the modern kingdom, Abdul Aziz, reunited Arabia over 30 years and married the wives of tribal chiefs he defeated to knit the country together. The kingdom was officially declared in 1932.
Sidelining Religious Authority
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(00:13:48)
  • Key Takeaway: MBS curtailed the power of the religious police as a necessary step to implement Vision 2030’s economic goals, such as allowing women to work.
  • Summary: MBS sidelined the religious police, forbidding them from making arrests, which was popular among many citizens but opposed by senior clerics. Senior clerics who resisted found themselves imprisoned or were quietly removed, as the council of Ulama is appointed by the king, forcing them to adopt a more moderate religious view.
The Ritz-Carlton Purge
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(00:14:36)
  • Key Takeaway: The detention of senior princes and business leaders at the Ritz-Carlton for alleged corruption created a ‘frigid fear’ that was a greater shock to Saudis than the Khashoggi murder.
  • Summary: MBS began detaining powerful figures, accusing them of corruption, which was widely believed given historical reports of 30% of the budget disappearing annually. This action was seen by many Saudis as a necessary crackdown on endemic graft, exemplified by the Jeddah flood disaster where funds were stolen.
Cultural Liberalization and Public Reaction
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(00:32:20)
  • Key Takeaway: The rapid introduction of Western culture, including concerts and sports, was embraced by the younger, majority population but met with quiet conservatism from older generations.
  • Summary: The transformation included rock concerts, amusement parks, and high-profile sports signings like Cristiano Ronaldo, signaling a massive cultural shift. While younger Saudis desired this freedom and economic opportunity, older generations were more shocked, and public criticism of the changes remains hazardous to one’s health.
Drivers of MBS’s Ideology
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(01:06:57)
  • Key Takeaway: MBS’s innovative, data-driven, and ambitious perspective stems from his background as a striver who felt overlooked by his older half-siblings and his immersion in video games.
  • Summary: MBS did not receive elite Western education, attending only Saudi universities, yet he employs data-driven management (KPIs) and exhibits an expansive imagination, possibly influenced by video games where ‘anything you can do in a video game, you can do in real life.’ His drive was fueled by a desire to prove himself against the sons of the king’s first wife.
Khashoggi Murder Fallout
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(00:46:16)
  • Key Takeaway: The murder of Jamal Khashoggi derailed MBS’s efforts to modernize Saudi Arabia’s reputation, transforming his image into that of a leader willing to eliminate dissenters.
  • Summary: Khashoggi, a former government insider, became a critic after MBS rose to power, leading to his murder in the Istanbul consulate in 2018. MBS took responsibility, stating it happened on his watch, but the incident severely damaged the perception of Saudi Arabia as a modernizing state. The operation may have been intended as a kidnapping to bring Khashoggi back to the country.
Vision 2030 Success and Challenges
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(00:39:24)
  • Key Takeaway: Diversification efforts have seen some success in tourism (e.g., Al-Ula), but grandiose projects like NEOM’s ‘The Line’ have been scaled back due to cost and logistical issues.
  • Summary: Saudi Arabia needs oil prices around $100 a barrel to fund its ambitious projects, making it vulnerable to global price drops. The massive NEOM project, including The Line, has faced significant scaling back because the original design proved impractical regarding bird migration and internal transit times. The next five years are critical for shifting focus from spending on plans to actual execution and earning revenue.
Israel Normalization Outlook
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(00:57:37)
  • Key Takeaway: MBS still desires relations with Israel for strategic economic corridors, but normalization is likely postponed due to regional instability (Iran) and the need to maintain domestic support.
  • Summary: MBS views Saudi Arabia as operating on a different level than smaller Abraham Accords nations and desires normalization for economic corridors bypassing the Suez Canal and Iran. However, caution is expected until King Salman passes, as young Saudis polled remain largely against recognition, and current regional tensions with Iran necessitate avoiding new controversies.