IN ANY OTHER year, Muhammad bin Salman would be getting ready for his star turn(高光时刻；主角登场). October 26th was supposed to have been the start of the Future Investment Initiative (FII), an annual summit in the Saudi capital that is sometimes dubbed “Davos in the desert”. The crown prince usually spends the week glad-handing(热情招呼；握手寒暄) heads of state, titans(巨头；巨擘) of finance and other dignitaries(显要人物；要人), all of them eager to do business with his kingdom.
换作任何其他年份，穆罕默德·本·萨勒曼此时都在为他的高光时刻做准备。10月26日本应是未来投资倡议（FII）开幕的日子——这个在沙特首都举行的年度峰会常被称为“沙漠达沃斯”。王储通常会花一周时间热情招呼各国元首、金融巨头和其他显要人物，这些人无不渴望与他的王国做生意。
Not this year. The Houthis(也门胡塞武装), an Iran-backed militia in Yemen, have spent weeks firing missiles and drones at Riyadh. The airport is still, in effect(实际上；事实上), shut after a series of deadly attacks. Many Western governments have warned their citizens not to travel to the kingdom. Executives were nervous that hotels or other venues could be targets. After days of deliberation(商议；审议), organisers decided on October 19th to postpone(推迟；延期) the event until next year.
今年则不然。也门境内受伊朗支持的胡塞武装数周来向利雅得发射导弹和无人机。在一系列致命袭击之后，机场实际上仍处于关闭状态。许多西方政府警告本国公民不要前往沙特。企业高管们担心酒店或其他场所可能成为袭击目标。经过数日商议，主办方于10月19日决定将活动推迟至明年。
As he rose to power a decade ago, Prince Muhammad made a few big gambles(赌注；冒险). He wagered(打赌；押注) that he could defeat the Houthis; that he could reshape the Saudi economy; and that Donald Trump would prove a reliable ally. All of them have gone awry(出岔子；落空) at once. The decision to cancel FII is emblematic(象征的；典型的) of Prince Muhammad’s annus horribilis(灾难之年；可怕的一年). He faces a set of interlocking(相互交织的；环环相扣的) crises, none of which has a ready solution.
十年前上台时，穆罕默德王储下了几个大赌注。他赌自己能击败胡塞武装，赌自己能重塑沙特经济，还赌唐纳德·特朗普会是个可靠的盟友。如今这些赌注同时落空。取消未来投资倡议峰会的决定，正是王储“灾难之年”的缩影。他面临一系列相互交织的危机，没有哪一个有现成的解决办法。