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Four Years Later - What Do You Think Now, Daniel Pipes?

Reader comment on item: On Recent Saudi Reforms: A Conversation

Submitted by Robert (United States), Dec 21, 2021 at 00:52

You were smart (Dr. Daniel Pipes) I think to say that the Question (above) should be asked of you "5 years later."

Well, it's now only 4 years & a month later. And we see a historic event that seems like a complete surprise - the ABRAHAM ACCORDS. Not only 2 GCC members have made Peace with Israel and entered into economic agreements with it, but it looks like it was with the obvious tacit approval of MBS. And in 2025 the GCC will become an Economic Union. These events are shocking or incredible - and would be impossible without the approval of MBS (even if it is behind a screen).

So it looks like you can give at least a B+ to MBS for Political skills, no? Of course a lot more has happened in the Muslim Middle East which enabled MBS to perform well.

Submitting....

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Daniel Pipes replies:

I said that MbS "has the power but we don't yet know how skilled he is; ask me in five years."

Four years into that period, I would say that Mohammad bin Salman is still engaged in on-the-job training. The wild inconsistencies (allowing huge rave parties while jailing an anonymous tweeter for atheism) and the phenomenal errors (Saad Hariri, Jamal Khashoggi) continue undiminished. I still need another year to reach a conclusion.

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Reader comments (6) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Four Years Later - What Do You Think Now, Daniel Pipes? [146 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
RobertDec 21, 2021 00:52277402
A few questions for Dr. Pipes [193 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
There is NO Santa ClausDec 5, 2017 17:38241478
Beautiful Analysis [333 words]RobertDec 2, 2017 14:27241452
Skeptical and Optimistic at the Same Time [174 words]AlexNov 22, 2017 11:23241379
It All Depends [163 words]Barry BlackNov 22, 2017 09:51241378
My Letter To Jerusalem Post on KSA and Iran [236 words]DaveNov 21, 2017 11:33241372

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