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"Game of Thrones" Comes to Saudi Arabia
(New York Times) Elliott Abrams - Over the weekend, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia announced the arrests of 11 of his princely cousins, among them some of the kingdom's most prominent businessmen. Over the past two years Mohammed bin Salman, 32, one of King Salman's sons, has taken over most of the key economic and security posts and has clearly emerged as the most important operator in the government. The crown prince is also deputy prime minister and minister of defense. I asked a Saudi friend why Salman chose Crown Prince Mohammed as his successor, given that he is not his oldest son. The answer: "The King thinks Mohammed is the toughest. He'll pull the trigger when he needs to." The writer, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, was a deputy national security adviser under President George W. Bush.