MBS Is Right About The Possible War

Bloomberg: Saudi Crown Prince Says Iran War Would Bring Down Global Economy.https://t.co/npyRLqp555

via @GoogleNews

— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) September 30, 2019

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MBS is right to say there is only a political solution. And I point my finger towards Yemen. The humanitarian crisis in that country is atrocious. There is no military solution in Yemen. There is only a political solution.

There is no military solution with Iran. There is only a political solution.

Masa Son (who by all accounts is a genius) talked MBS into putting I don't know if it is 50 or 100 billion dollars into his Vision Fund. Masa put a big chunk of that into Uber and WeWork. Looks like both are bombing. Masa is not a monarch. He has a stellar record as an investor. But the thing is, if Imran Khan had started smoking at the peak of his cricket career, how long do you think he might have been a great player?

This MBS-Masa story is one to learn from.

Saudi Arabia is a wealthy country that became wealthy very rapidly when oil was discovered. And Saudi leaders have been talking about diversifying the economy for decades now. But that has not come to be. Now Saudi Arabia is under immense time pressure. Not delivering on diversification is no longer an option. It has at most a decade to do so. The rightful clean energy push in the world and the exponential progress being made by clean energy technology is good news for humanity, and it need not be bad news for Saudi Arabia.

I think if MBS were to draw a roadmap to becoming a constitutional monarch in something like five years, that would be the most powerful decision taken by any Saudi king. Become a constitutional monarch, and create a bicameral legislature.

It gets said about MBS he is a millennial who has already come to power. Pete Buttigieg in the US is older than MBS (I think) and Pete is considered almost too young.

It is not a question of individual IQ or individual ability. It is about the political structure that might best deliver. And Saudi Arabia has a 10-year window to diversify or face decline.

The best exercise of power is restraint. I am critical of some of MBS' misadventures in Yemen. He must become cognizant of the human suffering there. What Yemen needs is a political process.

Digital technology can enhance a ruler's powers. But it is not about having more power. It is about exercising power right. It is about being just and fair. I was watching a video yesterday about some elements of the Saudi regime misusing Twitter to clamp down on even basic expressions. I did not feel good about it.

Some of what MBS has said about technology and the economy does sound visionary. But unless the political process is right, you do run the danger of ending up with white elephants. When you surround yourself with yes men, you could walk naked and no one will bother to tell you because they are too afraid.

Recently I have been listening to some of what Imran Khan has been saying about the early days of Islam, the state that Prophet Muhammad created.

MBS does accept Israel's right to exist. That apparently is a major milestone. And women being able to drive in Saudi Arabia has been a long time coming. But the best political move MBS could make is choose to become a constitutional monarch. I don't see any hint of that. But that is my thought.