Apropos 'King Salman keeps close hand on oil in remodelling strategic team' carried by Business Recorder on its op-ed on Wednesday, there is hardly any doubt about the fact that Saudi Arabia's subtle change of energy policymaker line-up since the accession of new King Salman in late January appears to give the new Saudi ruler's inner circle a firmer hand on the kingdom's oil strategy than previous rulers have enjoyed. Here, one must not lose sight of the fact that the then crown prince Salman had articulated one of the most profound arguments on the protracted global oil price decline. It was on the occasion of his accession to the throne that oil price soared, albeit modestly. That King Salman has a different worldview in relation to energy and global economy from his predecessor King Abdullah is a fact that has manifested itself in his initiatives to lay the ground for a generational shift in how Riyadh develops its energy and economic strategies.
Moreover, the new king is showing no complacency towards articulating a befitting response to the growing challenges of ISIS and Iran in the Arab world.