Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman promotes economic and social liberalization in Saudi Arabia, but at the same time consolidates power in this oil-rich nation.

When King Salman was crowned in 2015, a Saudi official was apprehensive about Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was appointed deputy prime minister of the country. Officials worry that the king's immature and inexperienced son will shake the foundations of the Muslim kingdom.

"He was scared," the official said, referring to Crown Prince Mohammed, who was then an obscure royal member. But the official did not anticipate that Crown Prince Mohammed could break the rules in the Islamic Kingdom with many of these harsh laws.

As deputy prime minister, the 34-year-old Crown Prince has pushed for reforms to many traditional rules, an end to the ban on women driving or the quarantine of women in restaurants and, most recently, equitizing the company. Aramco oil and gas, the foundation of power and prosperity of Saudi Arabia.

Aramco offered its shares to the public for the first time, collecting more than 25 billion USD. The market capitalization of the company exceeded US $ 2,000 billion on the first day of trading on the Tadawul Stock Exchange in Riyadh on December 11, breaking the world market record.

"The deal size is a 'blow' to critics, including family members who think the Crown Prince will not be able to do that," a trader in the IPO said.

Mohammed also spread Saudi power on the regional stage. The Riyadh-led coalition is fighting against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Yemeni civil war that has lasted from 2015 to the present. He also issued an embargo on neighboring Qatar. However, Riyadh is now seeking to withdraw from these counterproductive campaigns.

Mohammed supports Trump to increase sanctions on Iran, the main rival in the region, and is even more assertive when the Saudi oil plant is suspected by Iranian drones.

The inexorable rise of Prince Mohammed took place as many high-ranking royal members were "knocked out", paving the way for him to take the throne. In 2017, Thailand from Mohammed ordered the imprisonment of hundreds of relatives and businessmen during the anti-corruption campaign in Riyadh, recovering more than $ 100 billion.

However, Mohammed's reforms are thought to have an uncompromising approach to dissidents, such as arresting female activists, Islamic militants or critics of his IPO plans.

The murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year, suspected by the Saudi agent, overshadowed the image of a reformist prince. Mohammed denied being involved in Khashoggi's death, but he was responsible as the Saudi leader.

However, criticism in the world contrasts with what takes place in the country, where the Crown Prince is undertaking powerful reforms, pulling an old society into a new era. Mohammed relaxed many of the harsh Islamic laws, which ruled Saudi Arabia for decades. Women can now enjoy the concert and participate in sports.

Appointed by King Salman himself for drawing attention to his work ethic, the Crown Prince was actively preparing for his position of authority years before King Salman was crowned. He hired consultants to devise meticulous plans to revive the economy. Advisors are familiar with late-night meetings, deployment statistics as well as previous references.

In the early days of his term, Mohammed excitedly talked about breaking the monopoly in a new era of business freedom. The plan to list 5% of Saudi Aramco's shares has long been the focus of the Crown Prince's economic vision. However, the deal became a problem in the region. Instead of joining the global capital inflows, the Saudi Aramco jewel received investment of up to US $ 5 billion from Abu Dhabi. The money is believed to have come from people caught in a corruption campaign and loans from Saudi banks.

"The IPO revealed the contradictions in Mohammed's plan, when he promised to shrink the state-owned company to broaden the liberalization path, but in fact all he did was increase personal control," Madawi said. al-Rasheed, visiting professor at London University of Economics, UK, commented.

"With all the rhetoric about privatization, he is at the center of everything," the professor said.