Since his father’s ascension to the throne in 2015, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has emerged as a driver of change and an uncompromising leader of Saudi Arabia. The prince’s image as a bold reformer has been paired with drastic acts of repression and ratcheted-up statements directed abroad. Here’s how. While known for its conservatism, the kingdom has a disproportionately young population. Two-thirds of Saudis are under 30. At 32, the prince has brought fast and drastic change in an effort to make his country appear more open. He has expanded the space for women in public life, allowing them to attend soccer matches, appointing them to public office and promising to let them drive starting in June. He has eliminated bans on movie theaters, concerts and other forms of public entertainment. And he has stripped the religious police — once in charge of monitoring women’s dress, among other things — of their arrest powers. M.B.S., as he’s sometimes referred to, also plans to overhaul the economy, long dependent on government jobs and the country’s vast oil reserves. He has proposed a shift toward tourism and renewable energies, expanding private employment and soliciting foreign investment. But the young prince has also drawn criticism for swiftly consolidating his power and sowing political chaos in the region. He has blockaded neighboring Qatar and continues to fan the flames of a years-old rivalry with Iran. In an interview, he likened Iran’s leader to Hitler. “Because he wants to expand. He wants to create his own project in the Middle East, very much like Hitler…” In Yemen, Saudi-led coalition forces are fighting in a civil war that has created what the U.N. says is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. As defense minister, M.B.S. led the country’s bombings and blockades of Yemen. “Why? Why Yemen? What they want from Yemen? Why they are killing us? Why they are killing our children and families?” Several prominent human rights activists and intellectuals have been jailed in the kingdom. And in November, the Saudi government locked up hundreds of powerful princes and businessmen in the Riyadh Ritz-Carlton, in what it called an anti-corruption campaign. The government says it reached settlements worth more than $100 billion. Witnesses told The Times that during months of captivity, many were subjected to physical abuse and coercion. Dozens of influential clerics have also been detained. And this year, the military and internal security services went through a shake-up when the prince dismissed old leaders and replaced them with younger officials. So while some hope the kingdom will become a moderating force in the Middle East, others fear the prince is further destabilizing the region.