Crow eaten

In a comment to my earlier post Revolution vs evolution, and in behind the scenes emails, reader John at Crossroads Arabia has pointed out that my view of change in Saudi Arabia is simplistic at best. Having given the matter much thought, I must agree that I erred in writing:

There's no hiding the fact that the Saudi government doesn't want women to participate in the political process and is dragging its feet.

This is a gross over-simplification of the complex political dynamics within Saudi Arabia, where the government is engaged in a tricky balancing act, attempting to cater to the desires of both those who want political liberalization and those who do not. It will be interesting to watch as the Saudi government tries to pick its way through the political minefield it created over many years, without suffering significant casualties along the way.

For those wanting to be better informed about Saudi Arabia and US-Saudi relations I strongly suggest a visit to Crossroads Arabia.