Saudi women shop in a mall in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia's royal leaders have launched social engineering operations to try to produce a new Saudi citizen for the 21st century.
Compared to the relatively well-established nation-states of Iran, Egypt and Turkey, Saudi Arabia is a spring chicken: It was only in 1932 that Saudi Arabia declared its complete unification. Nevertheless, constructing a cohesive nation-state over the tribes and sects conquered by the House of Saud has always been a work in progress. Different strategies have been tried over the decades, including the current emphasis on puritanical Wahhabism. Now, as part of a series of reforms dubbed Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia's leaders are seeking to create a new, modern society composed of citizens equipped with the skills to succeed in the modern global economy.
