Saudi Youth: Arab Spring deferred?

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Massive social spending and a vast security clampdown. That may have helped stave off the ripples of the Arab Spring in Saudi Arabia.

It did not stamp out some of the same symptoms that brought such dramatic rupture amongst some of its neighbors though.

70% of the kingdom’s population is still under 30 years old; officials continue to raise the alarm over high levels of youth unemployment as the country tries to ween itself off oil while recovering from a recession. Freedom of political expression remains severely restricted.

November 29, 2016: A large banner shows Saudi Vision for 2030 as a soldier stands guard before the arrival of Saudi King Salman at the inauguration of several energy projects in Ras Al Khair, Saudi Arabia. /VCG Photo

So, the 32-year old Crown Prince wants to give his generation new outlets for their energies, and jobs to keep them busy.

So far so good, is the feeling amongst almost everyone you meet.

Some still see a uniquely dangerous alternative: one that previous Saudi generations walked down – from Tora Bora to the Twin Towers.

June 13, 2016: Saudi students pass their final exams at a workshop in the Higher Institute for Plastics Fabrication in Riyadh. ‍/VCG Photo

Arguably, the influence of what critics call “Wahabbism” has been waning for years though. And now the Kingdom’s young leader-in-waiting says he wants to “get rid of” those most radical elements that once helped give birth to Al Qaeda.

Vision 2030 critics would be brave to speak out. But the wave of optimism amongst Saudi youth seems genuine.

It is worth remembering there’s more than a decade to go.