Quote Originally Posted by HitWithThe5 View Post
That's the way it works in most countries. Saudi Arabia is different because institutional freedoms and political rights are dictated by the clergy and the crown. This is a positive step in an Islamist society, look at Iran. Clergy has a growing post-Islamist threat of various stripes, this is a large part of it.

My country is too young to be in that conversation, but far better than Saudi Arabia in every way.
Saudi Arabia is the same as Iran was - Iran fell apart after the Shah fell and it's only edged towards real democracy in the last decade, despite having a strong democratic tradition prior to the Shah's direct rule and a well educated populace.

You also have to ask why the Saudi Princes are doing this.

I see a couple of possible explanations:

A: Someone's Courtesan complained about rubbish collection in her ward.

B: They're trying to distract the US from what a terrible place it is by making token gestures towards reform.

At the other end of the scale you have Bahrain where the ruler is trying to move towards democracy and inclusion of women in the government but keeps running up against his ignorant male subjects who'd rather be ruled by Islamists.