By Prof. Alan Alda

Great men, such as Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, make history through their deeds, accomplishments and what they contribute to their country. King Salman stands out with those great men, history-makers and nation builders, as one of the founders and developers of the great age of modern Saudi revival and renaissance.

In spite of the fact that he spent most of his career in government and public service as the Prince and Governor of Riyadh, nevertheless, his fingerprints and impacts are left on all the corners of the Saudi State. His administrative genius and leadership can be seen in every sector of the Saudi government.

Throughout those years of public service, he undertook and fulfilled with great care and diligence every responsibility bestowed upon him by his brothers and the various kings to serve his country and its citizens. He is a statesman of the first class who along with his brothers and previous kings of Saudi Arabia, — like the late King Fahd, Abdullah, Khalid, Faisal and Saud, and his other late brothers Prince Naif and Prince Sultan — laid the foundations of the modern Saudi State.

They also established the features and landmarks of the nation’s progress. King Salman, along with his brothers could navigate the Kingdom to safety through the murky and turbulent waters, crises and wars of the region over the previous decades, thus to deserve the title of Nation Builder.

For more than half a century, King Salman was the chief architect and builder of the city of Riyadh till it has metamorphed into one of the most affluent and prosperous cities of the world. He also laid the foundations and pillars of human and economic development in an unprecedented way to raise the standard of living for the citizens.

King Salman has played a major role in the administrative reform that Saudi Arabia has witnessed by taking the steps and measures to reform the government bureaucracy in Riyadh that became a paragon for other cities to follow. He has worked so hard to improve and modernize the performance of the government and to make it more efficient.

That led to creating the right administrative environment to diversify sources of income, attract foreign investments and expand the economic base. He also worked to import and transfer advanced technology and the know-how and employ citizens at various sectors of technology. That led to minimizing the county’s dependency on technological imports.

As to the human side of King Salman, he is considered a rare symbol of almsgiving. For all his busy, demanding and hectic agenda, he always finds time to meet with the citizens and listen to their requests.

Saudi Arabia is a great example of a country that has been largely misunderstood by many people. The archaic and orientalist stereotypes and stigma about the Arab World still persist. Saudi Arabia is considered to be the heart and soul of both the Arab and Muslim worlds. Saudi Arabia takes pride in having the two holy mosques of Islam on its land and that millions of Muslims are visiting it every year to perform pilgrimage.

Hence, Saudi Arabia has a great influence on politics related to the Arab and Muslim worlds. Kings of Saudi Arabia have been taking pride in being The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques since the time of the late King Fahd who voluntarily abolished the use of the title of His Majesty in November 1986.

Saudi Arabia is a major political and economic player in the world arena and has been a pillar of stability for the region and a staunch ally for the USA and the West over the years since its inception and founding by the founding father King Abdul Aziz Al-Saud.

In 1926, King Abdul Aziz was declared King of Hejaz and Sultan of Nejd. That was the first time in modern Arab history that a king could unify most parts and tribes of the Arabian Peninsula under one banner, state and a dynasty. His sons, followed suit and ensured that Saudi Arabia will be adhering to its commitments to its people, Islam, other fellow Arab and Muslim countries and its allies.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman became the seventh King of Saudi Arabia in 2015 after a long career in public service. He was appointed by his father, the late King Abdul Aziz, as deputy-governor of Riyadh Province in 1954, aged 19, and held the post until April 1955.

In January 2015, King Salman ascended to the throne of Saudi Arabia after his brother King Abdullah died. Thus, the political and public service career of King Salman has extended for more than 60 years making him the longest serving member of the Saudi royal family and the highly-revered head of the family. Thus making him a real nation-builder of the nation of Saudi Arabia as a member of the second generation of Kings and the oldest sons of the founding father, King Abdul Aziz.

In 1926, the Kingdom was totally different from what it is now and what it plans to be in the near future under King Salman. It had limited resources, income and services in every field, but steadily began the process of development that has continued under the Kings that followed. King Salman should take full credit for at least building the city of Riyadh as a modern-day metropolis and inspiring the building of other large cities across the Kingdom. He literally built Riyadh, which was a very modest city (as the pictures will show Riyadh before and after).

During his tenure as a governor of Riyadh, King Salman was also entrusted with the affairs of the royal family. Thus, a colossal political figure with the stature of King Salman bears a great deal of importance and generates an increasing interest by the public to learn about him as one of the most influential persons in the world.

The task of writing about a public figure like King Salman bears a lot of challenges. King Salman is known to be a very private person who protects and guards the details of his private life and that of his family. This is a respected trend in the conservative Saudi society. He tends to work silently, and books and resources about him are very limited and scarce.

There is not even a single book dedicated to him in English, with the exception of few booklets about him in Arabic that are not proportional to someone of his stature. His public appearances with the media are limited and he loves to keep a low profile in spite of all the long list of achievements that he has had for more than six decades.

As to reforms in the reign of King Salman, they are too many to include. But to mention a few, in April 2016, the government of Saudi Arabia under King Salman approved a plan for far-reaching reforms to diversify the economy away from oil and attract foreign investments. In February 2017, the Saudi Stock Exchange and a major bank named several women as their chief executives for the first time.

Few other landmark reforms followed. In November 2017, many of the kingdom's political and business leaders were brought to trial for corruption for the first time that included even senior members of the royal family. And finally, in April 2018, public cinemas were reopened to the public, after they were banned almost 40 years ago.

King Salman had undertaken other important roles such as Minister of Defense, and Crown Prince to his brother King Abdullah, where he played other roles in the modernization and reform in Saudi Arabia. During his reign as King (from 2015-Present), the speed of reform and development is astounding thus earning him the title of Nation Builder.

King Salman has started his reign as a King with a very ambitious and comprehensive plan to modernize his Kingdom and bring it up to the level of the most-developed and prosperous countries of the world. He is truly considered as the modern-day-founder and modernizer of Saudi Arabia. Since he came to the throne of Saudi Arabia, he brought a great sense of confidence and optimism for the promising future of the Kingdom.

According to many Saudi political analysts and historians, King Salman has some of the rarest traits and qualities of exceptional leadership that are manifested in his determination to bring his country to its full potential as an economic tiger to watch for.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has witnessed a great deal of progress in many fields such as education, health, armament of the Armed Forces, streamlining the government and overhauling the whole bureaucratic system, and a great deal of reform in the legal system to ensure fairness and good governance.

For example, King Salman has been a proponent and advocate of women’s rights and empowerment. In his reign, women were allowed to drive for the first time; a historical decision that was hailed by citizens and groups of women's rights around the world.

More women have graduated from universities and held many managerial, decision-making and leadership roles during recent years not witnessed previously in the history of the Kingdom. During King Salman’s reign, he has helped bring stability and security to the region, and helped its economy prosper.

His people are enjoying and celebrating an epoch of safety, achievement and giving, as well as the development of regulations and the modernization of the agencies and institutions of the state. Also, the main efforts circle around advancing educational, health projects across the Kingdom, in which “all segments of society are addressed in order to achieve a balanced and comprehensive development.”

The projects that King Salman initiated include the development of ports, economic and industrial cities. His government also started multibillion-dollar projects of roads and railroad, and the mega Metro network activating the economy, commercial and real-estate investments. This created opportunities for sources of individual and national income and eventually led to a very high standard of living for citizens and expatriates alike. In this context, while the world may be entering financial hardships, the Kingdom has been able to sustain its development.

In his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 25, 2018 in New York City, US President Donald Trump, hailed the achievements of King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman as “pursuing bold new reforms in Saudi Arabia and the United States is working with Saudi Arabia to set up a regional strategic alliance”.

One cannot narrate the history of modern Saudi Arabia without mentioning the role of founding Kings and visionaries like King Salman, the seventh King of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has been described as a modern-day-wonder that sprang out of the barren, austere Arabian Desert envied by some neighbors as one of the fastest growing economies and societies in the region. The rate of development and achievements is the fastest in modern Saudi history, especially during the reign of King Salman.

For many years, King Salman was the governor of Riyadh, which had few roads and limited services when he took control. Throughout those years, he turned it into one of the most developed, sophisticated, affluent and cosmopolitan cities in the region. No wonder he is considered as the Father of Riyadh, a title that he cherishes and makes him proud, along with a long list of achievements and titles that he gained during his public service career that his people remember very well and appreciate.

The city of Riyadh has stood witness to both the modern and past history of the Kingdom; its neighborhoods and streets narrating the phases of its story. The city has always been present in the chapters of history of modern Saudi Arabia, and it is the place where important decisions were taken. In the past eight decades, the Kingdom was transformed from a barren desert into a flourishing modern country. Development is moving quickly with many projects under way.

The city of Riyadh has been the center of attention of King Salman as the political capital and the main economic hub. King Salman has recently launched ambitious projects in the Riyadh region worth billions, which will enhance the living standards of residents. The 1,281 development projects in the Saudi capital and surrounding towns will cost about SR82 billion ($22 billion).

They aim to enhance crucial infrastructure, such as transportation and housing, and improve amenities, the environment and education. The program includes: 15 housing projects in Riyadh and its governorates, in line with the objectives of Vision 2030 to increase house ownership among citizens; the establishment of the largest Islamic museum in the capital; a huge environmental project for the lakes south of the capital covering an area of 315,000 square meters; sports cities; seven medical cities; 16 educational projects; quality entertainment facilities; the expansion of airports; and the development and upgrading of the road network.

The projects were announced on Feb. 13, 2019 by Prince Faisal Bin Bandar, the governor of Riyadh region, during an official inauguration event at Qasr Al-Hukm, in the presence of King Salman and the Crown Prince. They are part of a wider program of 2,830 projects planned for Riyadh at a total cost of SR338 billion, which are expected to create tens of thousands of job opportunities for young men and women.

During the inauguration, King Salman ordered the release of prisoners jailed on financial charges who are not involved in criminal cases, whose debts do not exceed SR1 million and whose insolvency can be proved. He also ordered the payment of their debts.

King Salman, who served as governor of Riyadh for almost five decades, is considered the “engineer” of the city, during which he oversaw the transformation of the Saudi capital into a modern, thriving metropolis and one of the most important cities in the Middle East and continues to assure that.

King Salman: The Charismatic Leader

Saudi Arabia is recognized as an icon of leadership in the Arab and Muslim worlds, and in reform and path-breaking policies in recent times. It stands out among Gulf monarchies due to the size of its polity, its strategic influence in and outside the Gulf, and its unique influence in the Muslim world as the keeper of the two holiest sites in Islam: Makkah and Madinah.

King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad have been at the forefront of the reform arena. During the last six decades, King Salman has been known to be a leading reformer and modernizer in the Kingdom during his long career of public service. He is characterized by his strong and inspiring charisma that he inherited from his late father and revered figure King Abdul Aziz, founder of modern Saudi Arabia. King Salman is said that has passed these traits, talents and charisma to his son Prince Muhammad Bin Salman.

Here is a detailed analysis of the various approaches of leadership substantiated with the activities performed and policies implemented by King Salman. We analyze the policy imperatives in the backdrop of the social, political and cultural framework. In this perspective, King Salman can be referred to “as a unique situational leader who has risen against prevailing barriers and constraints”.

The Islamic model of leadership stresses on khuluq, or behaving ethically towards human beings irrespective of religion, acts as a trustee, be humble and righteous and continuously strive for self-improvement. To sum up, the King embodies the different leadership styles along with threads of Islamic principles.

His Leadership

According to many people who worked with King Salman over the years, and as recorded in several books on him in Arabic, he does not take no for an answer. Once he sets his goals on a mission that he researched very well and made the decision to achieve, he would embark on making sure that the project is going according to plan and the outcome is nothing less than perfect.

He is known for his sharp eye for details, being meticulous and detail-oriented. He is also known to be a good listener and would spare no effort to develop his plans and long lists of projects. He is a good reader of people and chooses his assistants and advisors carefully after a long process of selection and vetting; always the best in the field.

King Salman is also a good observer with a strong sense of logic, intuition and foresight. He has instilled and mentored a great deal of quality leadership characteristics in his assistants and sons where values and principles become a basis for guiding, empowering and supporting the constant pursuit of excellence by his court employees. In this regard, the King emphasized creating an environment of trust, openness and honest communication to encourage the development of project quality and improving entrepreneurship in an open economy that has been attracting a lot of regional and international giant investors.

King Salman has been perceived as the leader of his people and genuinely cherished inside and outside his country as a rare humanitarian and a dynamic reformer who has also been balancing his religious obligations as "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques". He is the most widely-appreciated benevolent Monarch in recent times. He carries with him deep insights about various perspectives of his country, religion, people on the one hand and foresights of connection and communication with different parts of the world thus signaling a paradigm shift in the existing ideologies and practices of Saudi Arabia.

King Salman possesses visionary and charismatic qualities as a leader. He is a transformational leader. Charismatic leaders can be described as ‘meaning makers’ where the amount of charisma attributed to a leader increases as the leader’s vision becomes more idealized in the minds of followers. Vision is central to charisma and “charisma involves the ability to provide a compelling vision”. It has been argued that “a charismatic leader articulates a vision for the organization, which provides the framework for organizational strategies”.

Personalized charismatic leaders use their charisma effectively to achieve their own ends. Socialized charismatic leaders, on the other hand, use the power of their charisma to achieve organizational (or societal) goals. As far as charisma is concerned, both types of leaders have charisma and both can be effective in what they want to achieve.

The King’s charisma can be defined as “a certain quality of an individual personality by virtue of which he is set apart from ordinary men and treated as endowed with exceptional powers or qualities”. He is a charismatic leader, mystical, personally magnetic, and gifted. He has been playing a pivotal role in defining areas which is mentioned below:

Philanthropic Gestures: The philanthropic nature of the King has been commended time and again. During the Global Food crisis, the King made a generous contribution of $500 million, which was considered as “timely” and significant.

There have been numerous instances when King Salman has come forward to light up the lives of the downtrodden and the underprivileged. His generous donations include aid for young children from malnutrition, Iraqi refugees in Syria and Jordan, displaced Pakistanis through United Nations, eradication of polio, Palestinian refugees, refugees in Ethiopia and the flood relief to Pakistan are the humble gestures that shows a virtuous individual whose care and empathy calls for high regard and admiration.

Mission, Core Values and Social Identity of King Salman.

Charismatic leaders strongly engage followers’ self-concepts in the interest of the mission that has been articulated by the leader. By effectively linking followers’ self-concepts to the mission, charismatic leaders are able to increase the intrinsic valence of followers’ efforts and goals.

Carrying forward the values of Islam highlight the key guiding role of King Salman’s social identity as the Monarch and the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. He has been firm in advocating the teachings of Islam focusing on its noble concepts. At the same time he has opposed the slandering of any religion.

He had always maintained "that the most important features distinguishing Saudi society are its religious values, belief in the leadership and commitment to the unity of the nation”. He stressed on the importance of national dialogue, which he said played a major role in the promotion of differing views.

Finally, transformational leadership has four components: (1) idealized influence or charisma, (2) inspirational motivation, (3) individualized consideration, and intellectual stimulation (4). The original transformational leadership theory had only three components and did not include ‘inspiration’. These four I’s of transformational leadership interact to influence followers to change or cope with change by means of setting a vision, aligning followers to the vision through effective communication and lastly by motivating and inspiring followers to move toward the vision.

Transforming Qualities as A Leader: The following dimensions reflect King Salman’s deep visionary acumen and consequent transforming measures:

As a ruler, King Salman could foresee the growing miscommunications and perceptual distortions with different religions and their manifestations worldwide. He had taken those initiatives that reflected Islam as a truly distinctive and enriching religion that speaks of tolerance, love and immense feeling of brotherhood.

King Salman offered an outstretched hand to other faiths, engaging in a dialogue of faiths centered on his fundamental belief in peaceful coexistence. The efforts of King Salman brought together hundreds of leaders from the Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu and other faiths together that broke barriers and promoted greater understanding.

The ability to transcend above the boundaries of religion-social divides have been demonstrated by the King in all his activities where he essentially spoke of everyone being the “brothers and sisters of humanity” and this is indeed an awe-inspiring statement from a Monarch who had the capacity to discern the universal mankind globally and the ushering in of an era of peace, development and goodwill. Most importantly, King Salman has backed his words with wide-ranging actions from peace summits to development aid to robust diplomacy toward solving conflicts.

In fact, King Salman embodies overarching vision through which he has sincerely made an endeavor to create a common platform of worldwide unity and speech. He advocated that in doing so human minds will be uplifted from the existing hatred and wrong-doings. King Salman understands that a paradigm change comes only through focused education of the people.

Education:

The education sector during King Salman’s rule has been witnessing gigantic achievements to keep pace with scientific and technical developments around the world. About a quarter of the country’s budget is allocated for education each year. The Kingdom is currently investing heavily in the creation of a wide educational infrastructure, including Higher Education.

During the reign of King Salman women have taken the lead in the fields of education. The number of Saudi female university students has increased more than before under King Salman. Saudi Arabia has embarked on a rapid transformation of the higher education system, expanding from 6 to 24 universities in less than ten years, in addition to allowing for the cautious introduction of private education and funding a massive $2.4 billion overhaul of K-12 education.

In recent times, 30 highly-educated Saudi women were appointed to the Shoura Council (consultative assembly) and to ensure women make up at least 20 percent of the Council in the future, as a key turning point in the history of the Kingdom.

Today, King Salman’s determination is geared toward empowering women, not only socially and economically, but also politically, while boosting their role in mainstream Saudi national life. He is addressing the gender issues through the adoption of a national agenda favorable to a greater role for women in politics. By opening new opportunities for them in the Shoura Council, he is giving women the tools they need to lead.

In the decision-making process, by supporting and promoting Saudi women’s rights, he is establishing a foundation of equal rights and opportunities for men and women, in general, and in particular at the higher executive level. The desire of women to find a place for themselves in the workforce has been fed by the expansion in women’s education.

For example, Princess Noura University in Riyadh topped the list of funding from the public purse, receiving $238.8 million. The expenditure exemplifies the King’s approach. He is undaunted by spending such a large amount of money on a university only for women.

Saudi women have been moving steadily into new areas of private sector employment, such as advertising, broadcasting, and journalism, while women work in at-home offices in professions that are closed to women, such as architecture. They now work in shops that cater exclusively to women, and there are also entire shopping malls catering exclusively to women and employing only women.

In July 2012, Saudi Arabia announced that it would allow its women athletes to compete in the Olympics for the first time. Officials say the country's Olympic Committee will "oversee participation of women athletes who can qualify". The growing role of Saudi women in the various areas requires admiration, a process that has been started by the King.

Employment and Saudization

The Ninth Development Plan sought to reduce unemployment rate among the national workforce from around 9.6% to about 5.5% by the end of the Plan in 2014.

The drive for the growth of the private sector at an average annual rate of 6.6% over the period of the Plan, thus increasing its percentage share in GDP up to 61.5% by the end of the Plan posed the delicate question related to the relation between Saudi skills and the competitive demands of the private sector.

The 9th Plan clearly articulated the Saudization dream: Increasing the share of national manpower in total labor force (Saudization rate) from 47.9% in 2009 to approximately 53.6% in 2014 by providing 1.1 million job opportunities to labor market entrants.

Saudization can become successful when the local skill base is ready to take off in terms of knowledge, skills and competencies for the rapid growth and development introduced. This will usher in faster development of the citizens.

Within that realm of many reforms, King Salman has demonstrated himself as the towering figure that has continuously ushered in changes for the better within the domain of socio-religious, educational and cultural restraints.

At the beginning, the charismatic and visionary qualities of the King as leader has been given a detailed exposition through the various reforms and transformational measures of the King. This finally reinforces the fact that the leadership qualities of the King which is in sync with the expectations of the followers.

He had not deviated from his fundamental role of the religious leader (the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques). His own value system has been well-defined as a social figure and a perfect role model of leadership. The combination of vision and charisma is indeed a rare combination, which his personality and actions blend with ease and excellence.

King Salman is the epitome of such a charismatic global figure who has been the guiding force for the Muslim population of the world. One can say that he possesses the exceptional qualities such as: immense love for humanity, tolerance, the advance acumen of comprehending the far-reaching role of women, the broad vision of forging ahead without violating the essential teachings of Islam.

He is the father-figure that his people look up to. The alluring attractiveness of his magnificent personality is lasting and his dignity, humility speaks volumes about his personality. King Salman has been the most influential Muslim among Muslims for many years. Charisma has been spread out in the different areas of his gestures, activities and chalking out the coherent and awe-inspiring vision.

Developer and Modernizer of a Futuristic Kingdom

Cities around the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have witnessed an unprecedented rate of progress under King Salman.

Investing in the Younger Generation, Education and Sports

King Salman has been supporting sports and athletes encouraging them after every achievement, attending sporting events, especially the finals of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup. The Saudi sports competitions during the reign of King Salman have recorded many achievements, most notably when the Saudi national team qualified for the World Soccer Cup. In addition, it had many successes in international, continental and Arab competitions and tournaments.

During the reign of King Salman, Saudi women received great attention. Princess Rima Bint Bandar assumed the presidency of the Saudi Federation for Community Sports; the first Saudi female leader of a sport federation in history. She was also head of the Saudi Olympic Committee. She was the "Chairperson of the Women's Committee of the Arab Fencing Federation". Now, Princess Rima Bint Bandar is the Saudi Ambassador to the United States, appointed on Feb. 23, 2019, becoming the first female envoy in the country's history.

Many sports personalities have won awards in the era of King Salman, including Princess Rima, winner of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Award for Sports Innovation. Saudi Taekwondo player Nawaf Al-Maliki won the Arab Junior Athlete Award. In addition, the President of the Saudi Karate Federation, Dr. Ibrahim Al-Qanas won the Arab Administrative Award.

The Saudi Olympic Committee has won 11 medals at the Islamic Solidarity Tournament. The team participated in 16 federations: football, volleyball, handball, swimming, lawn and table tennis, wrestling, weightlifting, taekwondo, karate, judo, gymnastics, water polo and archery, with a total of 144 athletes. Saudi Arabia was ranked 11th out of 54 countries.

In the reign of King Salman, there has also been a dramatic change in the number of sports practitioners in the country. The percentage of sports practitioners in the country has recently been raised from 13 percent to 23 percent, according to a survey conducted in the first quarter of 2018, which shows that Saudi citizens are becoming more active than in 2015, since King Salman came to the throne.

Quality initiatives

The most prominent features of the growth of education during the era of King Salman is that the Ministry of Education took a number of qualitative initiatives aimed at raising the quality of the universities, to develop creativity and excellence for faculty members and support the establishment of centers of excellence in scientific and research.

Knowledge Consolidation

In order to diversify the sources of knowledge in the preparation of human resources, King Salman’s government initiated the program for the youth called: "Your Job and Mission" by creating a number of scholarships to prestigious universities in a number of developed countries by contracting with a number of governmental institutions and agencies to ensure a guaranteed career opportunity for the graduates.

Scientific research is essential for development and progress, and as a means to consolidate the concepts of knowledge and economy optimization, the Ministry of Education sought to strengthen the role of scientific research through the development of research centers.

It developed scientific and technical parks and incubators, including Dhahran Technology Park at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, and KSB project at King Saud University, and projects at the Advanced Scientific Park at King Abdul Aziz University.

Many children have a model educational environment, combining quality of facilities, integration of resources, strong curricula and competent teaching staff.

Educational Facilities

King Salman has been giving his continuous support to education, which is a clear indication of his vision that education is the bedrock of development in Saudi Arabia. About 624 school projects were built, including school complexes for the total capacity of 300 thousand students, while the number of projects implemented under the supervision of the Ministry at the present time 1422 Project, to be completed with a capacity of more than 700,000 students.

The preparatory program at universities across the Kingdom has been the most successful program to equip Saudi freshmen with the skills they need to succeed.

Many educational initiatives were created such as the Center of Excellence, the National Robot Olympiad, the Scientific Olympiads, the Publishing Program and the Business Research Center. In addition, the private sector has witnessed a steady growth in a number of private schools and universities, reflecting the Ministry's policies aimed at enhancing the contribution of private education to achieve development goals.

— The author is Distinguished Professor Alan Alda. He is an American Media and Strategic Advisor. He contributed many articles for Saudi and international media about Arab-American relations and appears as an expert on the Middle East on many American TV networks. Email doctoralanalda@gmail.com