With international outrage growing over an air strike that targeted a bus carrying schoolchildren in Yemen's Saada province on Thursday and killed nearly 30 children, the spotlight is again turning to the assertive and militaristic foreign policy of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.
Crown Prince Mohammad is also perceived to have been instrumental in triggering Saudi Arabia's recent spat with Canada over a tweet by Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland calling for the release of human rights activists jailed in the kingdom. Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador to Ottawa, cut trade ties and suspended flight services following the tweet.
Crown Prince Mohammad, the son of current Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, was appointed defence minister in 2015 after the death of the preceding monarch King Abdullah. Mohammad was surprisingly made crown prince two years later, breaking a chain of succession that had till then only revolved around King Salman and his older brothers, all of whom were sons of Ibn Saud, the founder of Saudi Arabia.
The crown prince has pushed for a hardline stance on Yemen, which is seen as a battleground between predominantly Shia Iran and a coalition of Sunni states led by Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia, under Crown Prince Mohammad, has also attempted to preserve and expand Saudi influence in countries like Lebanon, another nation that has been prone to Iranian influence over the past four decades.
Human rights groups claim Crown Prince Mohammad has been emboldened in his militarism by support from US President Donald Trump, who is determined to crack down on Iranian influence, and other prominent Western powers like the UK and France, whose companies have substantial interests in the Saudi economy and military purchases.
The Canadian government has reportedly been dismayed at the lack of support from Western allies such as the US and UK over its spat with Saudi Arabia. Some international reports suggest Trump is attempting back-channel diplomacy to resolve the Saudi-Canada rift.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council on Thursday demanded an investigation into the Yemen bus attack, which the Saudi-led coalition defended as a legitimate military operation, claiming Iran-backed rebels were on board the bus.
It is yet unclear how much support the Security Council's call will have as three permanent members—the US, UK and France—are allies of Saudi Arabia, while even Russia and China may back away from supporting such a proposal. However, the continuing conflict in Yemen has triggered calls in the US Congress to rein the Saudi operation in Yemen. At least 10,000 people have lost their lives in the conflict in Yemen since 2015.
Given the reliance that Trump, and any other future US leader, has on Washington's alliance with Saudi Arabia to counter Iran and contain the spread of Islamic State, any 'action' against Mohammad and his foreign policy is likely to be cosmetic. And since Crown Prince Mohammad is only 33 years old, his influence on Saudi politics, and world affairs, may just be beginning.