“Conventional wisdom says Vision 2030 is driven by low oil prices and soaring military expenditures caused by Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen. The moves to liberalize Saudi society, by contrast, are often explained as springing from generational turnover or a gradual evolution in social attitudes. Separating fiscal and social policies in that way, however, overlooks how the kingdom’s finances and its policies toward women are linked. In a forthcoming article in International Studies Quarterly, we argue that autocrats in oil-rich states strike bargains with important societal interest groups. Rulers impose repressive social policies to secure the backing of key groups -- as the Saudi royal family has done with the Wahhabist religious authorities. If those social policies are being withdrawn, it means that the monarchy is trying to rewrite that bargain.”
Brian Dooley writes: The Obama administration needs to end its cognitive dissonance of telling itself that its friends, the “reformers” in the ruling family Bahrain, will magically become good, despite overwhelming evidence of increasing authoritarianism. The State Department — long derided by Bahraini activists as the Department of Statements — should immediately and publicly reimpose the ban on arms sales to Bahrain. – Defense One
The U.S. military now plans to keep a small force of Special Operations advisers in Yemen — deployed in April for a limited, short-term operation — for the foreseeable future, a step toward reestablishing a counterterrorism mission that was shut down last year by civil war – Washington Post’s Checkpoint
Despite the United Arab Emirates's announcement Wednesday that it will cease its military operations in Yemen, the war is not over. – Defense News
Brian Katulis writes: U.S.-Saudi relations have been tested and torn by the 9/11 attacks, war in Iraq, the Arab Spring uprisings, and the Iran nuclear deal. Both countries have questioned the value of bilateral ties. But a new generation of Saudi leaders recognizes that the U.S. remains their strategic partner of choice. They understand that Russia, China, and India don’t have what Washington can offer. U.S. officials, watching the regional chaos around the Saudis, are prioritizing reliable, capable partners who can help produce tangible security and economic results to sustain stability. This Saudi visit will not bridge those gaps. But it can open dialogue that moves toward achieving results. – WSJ’s Washington Wire
David Ignatius writes: Starting in January 2015 with the accession of King Salman, Saudi Arabia has been shaken by the bold reform campaign of his son, known at home and abroad by his initials, MBS. By outmaneuvering and sometimes defying his elders, the young deputy crown prince has turned the politics of this conservative, sometimes sclerotic monarchy upside down. – Washington Post