Editorial: A decisive year

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman assumed the leadership of the Kingdom at one of the most challenging periods in its history. A year ago the storm clouds were growing ever darker over the Arab world. Twelve months later and the remarkable impact the king has had are clear for all to see.
He has had to confront a range of daunting calls on his leadership. The first and most obvious was the rebellion against the Yemeni government. Had the insurrection succeeded it would have posed a direct threat to the Kingdom’s southern border. Within two months of his succession, King Salman had unleashed Operation Decisive Storm. It checked the Houthi rebels. Their advance was reversed. The port city of Aden was rescued from imminent capture. Slowly and methodically the rebels are being pushed back. Either they will sue for peace or they will be defeated in the battlefield. Whichever outcome, this year it can be expected that the revolt will end and the Yemeni government will return to the capital Sanaa.
The military operation against the Houthi rebels demonstrates King Salman’s talents and determination. His wisdom was to move quickly and convince our Gulf allies to join together and save the Yemeni government. His plans received the admiring endorsement of the United States. The king’s determination also soon became very clear. At the heart of the Houthi uprising lay Iranian money, weapons and encouragement. It could not be ignored.
The malign meddling of Tehran was in itself nothing new. Syria and Iraq have become graveyards dug by the Iranian regime. The Kingdom long sought to counter this interference with its customary quiet diplomacy. Saudi Arabia has always made it clear that its differences were not with the Iranian people but their government. It has been a constant in the Kingdom’s diplomacy that it wants Iran to be a stable and prosperous good neighbor.
This unfortunately, has been taken by Tehran as a sign of weakness. Operation Decisive Storm very quickly disabused it of this idea. The king drew a line in the sand and immediately demonstrated that this was no idle gesture. He has backed words with actions.
No country goes to war unthinkingly. King Salman did what had to be done and there is no doubting the general sense of pride among Saudis that the Kingdom is demonstrating so clearly that it can use an iron fist as well as the velvet glove of diplomacy.
There is also no doubting that the king’s counsel remains widely sought. Saudi Arabia’s resolute and successful stand against internal terrorism is much admired. The king’s Washington visit in September was highly significant. His long talks with President Barack Obama included the worldwide threat from Daesh, the destabilizing regional role of Iran and, of course, the future of Syria and Iraq.
As the acknowledged leader of the Arab world, King Salman’s advice was listened to with respect. That Obama has not yet seen fit to review his hard-fought for nuclear deal with Iran was a matter of regret. But the king left the US president with no illusions about the extraordinary danger that a newly wealthy Iran will pose to the region.
What has counted so strongly in this first year of his rule has been the king’s extensive experience of government. His long tenure as governor of Riyadh gave him unrivaled knowledge of administration. Under his guidance, Riyadh has been transformed into one of the world’s leading and most exciting capitals. That deep administrative understanding informed the widespread national reforms that the new king initiated almost immediately. Layers of governance are being cleared away in a streamlining that re-equips the Kingdom for the 21st century. The task has been assigned to the Councils for Political and Security Affairs and Economic and Development Affairs.
Saudi Arabia faces considerable economic challenges posed by sharply lower oil revenues, the Chinese slowdown and a still-lingering global recession. King Salman has moved decisively to protect the Kingdom from the dangers ahead. The new budget is an exercise in prudence. It is not about austerity. It focuses on controlling expenditure and prioritizing investment areas. It is in fact a demonstration of good housekeeping.
Many serious challenges and dangers lie ahead. The Arab world has arguably never been in greater need of wise leadership. The threat from terror has probably never been so great. In these circumstances, what is so impressive about the first year of his leadership is that King Salman has not hesitated to act. His long experience of government has given him a deep fund of political and economic insights. The Kingdom is, therefore, fortunate to have such an accomplished leader in such difficult times.