Saudi Arabia has cultivated an image of traditional stability, benevolence, and almost mystical communal harmony. Suddenly deep levels of tension have been exposed. The world has become aware of stresses and potentially dangerous hostility and dissent. These disclosures have provoked a wave of speculation about Saudi society, some of it informed but much of it idiotic.
All is well
The Saudi royal family has come under intense pressure to respond to the expectations of the United States, their long term friend and supporter, while at the same time managing the increasingly complex demands of a young, volatile and unpredictable population.
