Saudi society has changed drastically. Can the economy change, too?

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Twenty years ago Buraidah was a showcase of Saudi Arabia’s problems. Religious police roamed the city’s streets, making sure that shops stayed closed for the five daily prayers, that women only left their homes accompanied by a male relative and that the sexes did not mingle anywhere. There were no cinemas or concerts; most restaurants catered only to men. Two decades of relatively low oil prices had called into question the assumption that Saudis could simply swan into well-paid government jobs. Dissatisfaction at the disintegrating social contract helped propel another Saudi export: Islamic fundamentalism. In 2005 a local militant cell battled the security forces for nearly 48 hours.