After decades of empty talk, reforms in Gulf states are real—but risky
The push to be more diverse and competitive risks alienating citizens
Latin is rare in Riyadh, but the phrase panem et circenses (“bread and circuses”) was the best way one Saudi writer knew to express his misgivings about the state of his country. Muhammad bin Salman, the writer explained, had put his own spin on an ancient idea. The crown prince was taking away the bread, the state handouts that defined the social contract. Meanwhile he had made the circuses themselves a civic duty: go forth and have fun to help build a new Saudi Arabia.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “A new dawn, a new day”
From the February 11th 2023 edition
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