Middle East

How Saudi Arabia’s 79-year-old King Salman is shaking up the Middle East

When King Salman became Saudi Arabia’s ruler this year, few people expected much change. He was 79 and reputedly in ill health. The longtime governor of Riyadh province, Salman was known as a capable administrator and skilled mediator, not as a man who challenged the status quo.But since taking the throne in January, Salman has shaken up both Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy and the royal family’s succession plans.