Saudi Arabia’s week of speaking economically

Heeding advice from its growing number of public relations advisers, the new generation Saudi leadership has decided to adopt a more public face, countering criticism over its campaign to defeat the Houthis and their allies in Yemen, the execution of dissident cleric Sheikh Nimr Al-Nimr and the economic and social impact of the plummeting oil price. One consequence of this has been the apparent unveiling of ambitious economic reform plans, led by the “privatisation” via an initial public offering (IPO) of parts of Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco).