Saudi Arabia turned 40 after MBS decade

When President Donald Trump chose Saudi Arabia for his first foreign visit to the new term – met Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) in Riyadh – it underlines that US interests have now tracked Saudi change. In turn, MBS is ready to visit the White House in the coming months. Time is notable: He turned 40 this month and came to power for 10 years, with a domestic record some leaders have reconciled in a decade.

The most visible innings has been in women’s rights. In the country of over 20 million citizens, women now drive, travel without a male guardian and play a role in law, aviation, diplomacy and C-suits-Ghrelu promotes income and widen the country’s talent base. Women now make about 36% of the workforce. It is a figure that can seem normal to Americans but is a deep social change for Saudi Arabia.

Regional, MBS has tied domestic changes to strategy abroad. He supports the expansion of the Abraham agreement, but argues that permanent normalization with Israel requires a reliable route for a Palestinian state – the required political value after Gaza to create an alignment that integrates Israel in the region.

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This speed of change has not come without force. Dissatisfaction is tightly controlled, and the political location is limited. Critics point to the arrest of activists, traders and even Royals. But history suggests that in rigid systems, rapid improvement often collides with surrounded interests – and the Ataturk of Turkey, Li Kuan U of Singapore and Deng Ziaoping of China rarely change nations without strong measures to suppress protests such as Deng Ziaoping of Singapore.

For his share, MBS admits that he has made mistakes – some expensive, other controversial – but he has proved to be an unusually accelerated learner: adjusting the course when needed, doubled failures and to avoid the temptation to avoid temptation while maintaining the strategy. The ability to reorganize is rare in leadership.

What changed under MBS

• Religious police were sidelined; Social space was opened. For more than a century, the religious police implemented the dress code and gender isolation. His expulsion indicated that public life would no longer be governed by fear of moral policing, making place for mixed workplaces and modern entertainment.
• Advanced women’s rights. Driving restriction ended; Conservator sanctions were reduced, and women gained practical autonomy to work, travel and manage their affairs. Women are now rebuilding the labor market in unimaginable ways a decade ago.
• Cultural awakening. Entertainment – None once – has become a domestic industry. Theaters were reopened, concerts hosting global artists and Saudi cities, attracting heavyweight boxing and international festivals. Simplified visa fuel tourism, while cultural “weather” and mega-legal projects spend at home. Domestic holiday, MBS indicated that the state could meet the lifestyle expectations of citizens.
• Digital government. Integrated digital platforms revolutionized services, allowing citizens to complete the tasks in minutes instead of hours of paperwork. Shift reduced the opportunities of corruption and increased efficiency.
• Anti -corruption campaign. In 2017, a controversial one-time drive recovered the billions in the property and showed that even the most powerful were not beyond the investigation, resetting the expectations of accountability at the top.
• Economic Reorganization. The policy with the aim of breaking the dependence on oil by investing in technology, Renewable energy And artificial intelligence. Public Investment Fund (PIF), which is now one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth, has become a heavy weight in global technology and infrastructure, nurturing new domestic industries.
• Mega-project for seeds of new areas. The rank of Neom, Qiddiya and Red Sea Resorts in the most ambitious development experiments of the 21st century. Their success is important; Failure to attract residents, investors and tourists will be expensive. To reduce the risk, MBS invested in several initiatives, arguing that only some need to be successful on a scale to change the economy. (I serve in the advisory board of Neom.)
• Fiscal improvement. Cheap fuel, water and electricity decades encouraged waste and drought the budget. Fiscal discipline improved to get out of comprehensive subsidy and replace them with targeted support for low -income houses. New taxes and privatization programs made revenue wider, making state less unsafe for oil -pricing swings.
• Institutional and legal modernization. Civil transactions, evidence and new codes in individual status are replacing a patchwork of judicial discretion, making citizens and investors more predicted. Courts now rapidly resolve commercial disputes and more transparently, an important factor to attract foreign capital.
• Education reform. Critical thinking as well as the old, religious course is being overhale to emphasize stem areas and foreign languages.
• home ownership. By implementing a variety of support programs, the Saudi homeowner increased from 45% to 63% during this period.
• Global posture beyond oil. The Kingdom now competes-and wins-Expo 2030 to FIFA World Cup 2034 major programs.

A reform agenda over time on their side

The MBS that sets apart from many historical reformers is time. At the age of 40, he can remain in power for decades – not only to launch reforms for a long time but also to embed so deeply in Saudi institutions and society that the reversal becomes impossible. In any era, some leaders have done this in 10 years, while repeating the global role of their country – and through it there is a runway to see.

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What to see next

The Washington Agenda focuses on defense integration, technology cooperation, energy and investment that creates American jobs with diplomacy to expand the generalization of the Arab-Israel with a serious political horizon for Filistinians.

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If MBS can combine internal modernization with a permanent regional disposal, the payment will expand beyond the bay – to pump prices, regional stability and American influence for a generation.