Economics
Saudi Prince Shows Grip on Power, Names First Female U.S. Envoy
- Mohammed Bin Salman’s full brother named vice defense minister
- Princess Reema to be envoy in U.S. as first female ambassador
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Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman solidified his immediate family’s sway by promoting his full brother and tried to turn the page on relations with the U.S. by appointing the kingdom’s first female ambassador to America.
Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan will replace Prince Khalid bin Salman, who was named vice defense minister. The decision to pick the daughter of a longtime Saudi envoy in Washington suggests the government is trying to soften its image at a time of tense relations with Congress over the murder of Saudi insider-turned-critic Jamal Khashoggi as well as outrage over the arrest of women activists and Yemen’s humanitarian crisis.