Barbarisms built on our addiction to oil

When Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud — MbS — assumed power in Saudia Arabia, he did so without the endorsement of an election. The idea is unknown in this family-run kingdom, where power is inherited and uncontestable.

Vast sums were spent to show him as a reformer, to create the impression that he was a moderate man who recognised that human rights might have relevance in his country. It was hoped that he might bring the kingdom into, maybe, the 18th century.