John Brennan, the director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency during the Obama era, writes in his memoirs, published under the title "No Fear: My Battle Against America's Enemies at Home and Abroad," the following:

(As director of the Central Intelligence Agency, I held several meetings with Mohammed bin Salman. He struck me as well-informed, intelligent, energetic, cunning, and seasoned in politics, but he was also extremely detached from reality when it came to Saudi Arabia's ability to influence the course of events in the region. I met Mohammed bin Salman shortly after his appointment as Minister of Defense in early 2015.

At that time, he was organizing the launch of a Saudi-led military coalition to combat the Houthi rebel forces, which had overthrown the Saudi-backed government in Yemen. He said with confidence: "We will wipe out the Houthis within two months," then added: "And after that, we will turn our attention to settling things in the north," in what seemed like a clear reference to Syria and Iraq. I looked at him with a blank stare that betrayed no expression, and wondered to myself what he was smoking)