Abdullah could never have taken his girlfriend to a cafe when they started dating. Attending music concerts featuring American pop stars was also in the realm of the impossible. But in the “New Saudi,” as he puts it, many such freedoms have been bestowed upon the public. There are more avenues for entertainment, mingling between the sexes has become easier among the relatively liberal, and women are allowed to drive.
These small mercies have been sold as major reforms to both Saudis and the West. The Saudi government’s aim is to win over Saudi Arabia’s youth—two-thirds of Saudi Arabia’s population is under the age of 35—and discourage them from challenging the monarchy. It has the additional goal of luring foreign investment to help diversify the economy.
