Is this the beginning of a new era in US-Saudi relations?
Investors will be torn between an attraction to the kind of profits the Saudi energy sector might yield versus the lack of
international norms of informational transparency
Hussein Ibish
The recent visit to Washington, New York and Silicon Valley by Saudi Arabias deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, might, like most diplomatic missions, quickly faded into irrelevance. But this trip also has the potential to one day be recalled as a watershed moment in US-Saudi relations. That will depend entirely on the fate of the sweeping economic and social reform agenda Prince Mohammed is championing in an attempt to transform Saudi society from the top down.
The deputy crown prince is not a head of state, or even government, but during his American trip he was treated like one. Prince Mohammed met Barack Obama and his secretaries of state and defence. He and his large delegation fanned out across Washington, visiting key congressional figures and various policy-framing opinion leaders.
Prince Mohammeds message was at least as economic as political, and he spent several days reaching out to business leaders in New York and high tech honchos in California. The restructuring agenda he is leading, known as the National Transition Programme (NTP), presents itself as a policy of economic revitalisation. Its centrepiece is Saudi Arabias Vision 2030, a blueprint for the post-oil era, including monetising a large part of Saudi Arabias energy resources and creating a $2 trillion (Dh 7 trillion) sovereign wealth fund.
But behind this economic programme lies an implicit yet unmistakable vision to radically overhaul key aspects of Saudi society, and even culture, and promote national competitiveness by bringing it more into line with the international norms of a globalising world. An obvious case in point is gender relations. The plan calls for greatly expanding womens participation in government and the economy, since it is impossible for Saudi Arabia to be competitive in a post-oil environment without tapping its female human resources. That, in turn, is impossible unless extraordinary and ultimately unmanageable restrictions such as guardianship laws, extreme gender segregation in most public spaces, and the prohibition against women driving, are eliminated.
Prince Mohammed and his allies plainly understand this, and communicating that was a key element of their message to their American audience. He and his delegation, particularly behind closed doors, stressed that they understand the fairly extensive transformation their country needs (much of which has been pushed by Washington for many years, to no avail), and that they are earnestly and energetically attempting to implement those changes.
The United States, they were suggesting, needs to support this effort through promoting trade and investment, diplomatic support (including regarding the war in Yemen, which is the subject of increasing international concern), and recalibrating Washintons relationship with Riyadhs archrivals in Iran.
The message was couched in a striking new tone of warmth and friendship, following several years of bitter complaints, threats of going it alone and sullen allusions to finding alternative partners. In recent months Saudi Arabia has been replacing such vinegar with large dollops of honey, which reflects both a new approach and a recognition that for various reasons, including a growing sense that Washington is indeed getting tougher with Iran relations genuinely have been improving.
The writer is a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington
