It's time to take the reference books off the shelf and rip out the pages on Saudi Arabia. They're all out of date. The changes over recent weeks—Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's consolidation of power and the arrests of hundreds of people on corruption charges—have taken the kingdom past the point where the traditional structures and symbols of Saudi leadership can be seen any more. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is becoming more akin to a modern authoritarian republic than an old-fashioned Gulf monarchy.
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