Saudi deputy crown prince listed among most influential leaders

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Wednesday 02 Dec 2015 - 22:14 Makkah mean time-20-2-1437 Riyadh (IINA) - Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, second deputy premier and minister of defense,  has been listed by U.S. magazine Foreign Policy as being one of this year’s top decision makers, Al Arabiya News channel reported. The prince was given the ranking for “spearheading a hawkish turn” – a reference to the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen to defeat Houthi militias and restore the internationally recognized government to power. Since late March, Saudi and its Arab allies began striking the group, as well as forces loyal to deposed President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The Kingdom’s leadership of the coalition, coupled with the deputy crown prince’s position as defense minister, has seen him at the forefront of military operations. His position has “redefined the country’s (Saudi) role in the Middle East,” according to Foreign Policy. Due to his age, he is also “seen by some Saudis as representing the country’s youthful majority.” Other leaders on the nine-member list include German Channel Angela Merkel “for trashing worthless refugee policy.” Foreign Policy credited Merkel’s efforts in allowing more refugees into EU countries, as well as pushing fellow member states to do the same. Former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis was also on the list for “combating the troika” – a reference to his efforts to prevent Greece’s foreign creditors from imposing severe austerity measures on the debt-stricken country. Another entrant, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was mentioned “for adapting to the challenge as her country drowns.” Under Hasina’s leadership, Bangladesh has been one of the only developing nations to create a climate change strategy, in a bid to prevent its 170 million inhabitants from being threatened by rising oceans as a result climate change. HA/IINA