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Saudi reform could include elected legislature

The kingdom would benefit from initial reforms, including an elected national assembly rather than an appointed consultative council and the release of political prisoners.
Aides stand outside the room where US President Barack Obama meets with Saudi King Abdullah, at Rawdat Khurayim, the Saudi King Abdullah's desert camp 60 KM (35 miles) northeast of Riyadh, during his meeting with US President Barack Obama on March 28, 2014. Obama arrived in Riyadh for talks with Saudi King Abdullah as mistrust fuelled by differences over Iran and Syria overshadows a decades-long alliance between their countries. AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB        (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Imag

Saudi Arabia appears to have emerged unscathed from the ongoing upheavals that have gripped the Arab world since 2011. On the surface, all seems to be quiet and under control, thanks to a series of domestic, regional and international policies put in place to mitigate potential dissent in the oil-rich kingdom.

Yet, these policies may prove to be of only temporary efficacy, as they do not reflect a serious attempt to respond to the many deep-rooted challenges facing both the leadership and Saudi society. These policies have simply postponed answering big questions about the future of the absolute monarchy in a society that is heavily engaged in imagining a different political system, one in which they are given a stake, if only a limited one.

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