DUBAI: The changes taking place in Saudi Arabia will be viewed in the long run as nothing short of a revolution, but one that happened in an “incremental” and “organic way,” according to CNN journalist, author and political analyst Fareed Zakaria.
He made the comments during an appearance on the Arab News show “Frankly Speaking” from the Saudi capital, which he visited last week and where he participated in a talk at the Riyadh International Book Fair around his latest book, “The Age of Revolutions.”
He said he feels the changes across the Kingdom are taking place at many levels. “The ones that I am most struck by, of course, are the role of women, but I am also struck by the role of (all) Saudis. And this to me is a very interesting and somewhat unremarked upon change,” he told “Frankly Speaking” host Katie Jensen.
“There are areas where (Saudi Arabia) is moving very fast; there are areas where it is still being somewhat restrained. … I am impressed that they are trying to strike a balance, that they are trying to push some things forward and modernize in some areas.”
Elaborating on the point, Zakaria said: “The role of women really has been transformed, but there are some areas, for example, where there’s still the requirement and encouragement that Saudis dress in traditional clothes. So, Saudi Arabia is trying to balance this in a way that doesn’t become too revolutionary.”
Overall, he said referring to the change, “when you look at it in historical terms, clearly this will be seen as a revolution, but it’s a revolution that is being played out in an incremental way, in an organic way … so that the changes are not so overwhelming.”
Indian-born American journalist Fareed Zakaria, who is the host of CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS and writes a weekly column for The Washington Post, appeared on Frankly Speaking. (AN Photo)
Moving on to the wider Arab Gulf region, Zakaria confessed that he was a skeptic for many years, considering these countries “very passive.”
“If you look at the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s, the Arab world was defined by its big, large states that were historically important: Egypt, Syria, Iraq. Then in the ’70s, you went through maybe a period of turmoil around Iran and the Islamic Revolution,” he said.
“But today, what is clear is that (the Arab Gulf states), starting with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain, are in the driver’s seat and they are trying, they are moving, they’re trying to move the region toward stability, economic integration, greater interdependence, more ties with more countries.”
Zakaria attributed said change in part to what is been happening in Saudi Arabia. “The UAE, to be fair, may even have been one of the first to begin that process. But now that Saudi Arabia is on board, of course, is much larger, much more powerful and can have a much more positive influence,” he said.
Alluding to the spirit of the landmark Abraham Accords, brokered by the Trump administration in 2020, Zakaria noted that the Arab Gulf states are reaching out to India and China among other economic powers. “This is all for the good because the more trade, commerce, interdependence and integration takes place, the more the average person in the Arab world is going to benefit because his or her living standards will rise,” he said.
The Indian-born American journalist is the host of CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS and writes a weekly column for The Washington Post. A prolific author, Zakaria has a PhD in government from Harvard University where he studied under such famous scholars as Samuel P. Huntington and Stanley Hoffmann.
