Saudi Arabia

The Prospect Interview #158: Saudi Arabia’s reform and repression

Mohammed bin Salman was hailed as a moderniser in 2017. What happened?

December 08, 2020
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Photo: Valery Sharifulin/TASS

When the young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ascended to power in 2017, he was hailed in the west as a liberal reformer, and was welcomed by Hollywood celebrities and world leaders alike. But what has happened to Saudi Arabia’s supposedly radical programme of reform? Saudi expert Madawi al-Rasheed joins the Prospect Interview and takes us behind the power struggles and social debates within the country—and why the west got it so wrong.





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