Critical Article Analysis Essay on Vision 2030

Introduction

Saudi Arabia is arguably the largest oil producing country in the world. As a result, the country relies mostly on the export revenue from petroleum and petroleum products. This overreliance on oil has seen Saudi Arabia stagnate in other areas of development that can propel the country to compete with other Ivy League countries in the world such as the United States (Cozza, 2016). As such, the government of Saudi Arabia launched the Saudi Vision 2030 roadmap, whose primary goal is to help Saudi Arabia to diversify its economy and develop essential sectors such as health, education, tourism, and recreation. To achieve this, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia intends to expand the private sector by expanding non-oil industries, encouraging the use of locally sourced military products, and privatize industries owned by the government (Cozza, 2016). This paper seeks to critically analyze Joseph Cozza's article "Could Vision 2030 reforms destabilize Saudi Arabia?' by looking into the impact of the reforms the author is talking about.

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The Impact on the Rentier States

For centuries, the regions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have been drawing a big proportion of their revenues from renting of the oil fields to foreign customers. According to the article, the income obtained from these rents are then distributed to the general populace through the provision of essential services such as electricity and water, and building of social amenities like schools and hospitals. Cozza (2016) contends that the huge income generated from the rent has been literally running the Saudi government, and therefore has been at the center of the monarchy's control.

The monarchy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been described by critics as one of the most authoritarian in the world. For instance, the leadership has been rebuked by many international human rights groups who argue that the country's constitution does not serve the interests of its citizens by infringing on their basic rights. Until recently, for example, women were not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia (Fattouh & Sen, 2016). This kind of dictatorial leadership has been explained by political analysts and economic experts who argue that the Saudi citizens continue to be oppressed because the authorities control all the revenues obtained from the country's natural endowment (Neil & Sprusansky, 2017). Even though the government subsidizes many services and products for easy access by the middle class, and provides employment in the oil fields, Saudi citizens are less economically empowered to establish their own standards of living.

Whereas Cuzzo (2016) is so elaborate in his explanation for the government's influence in the rentier states, he does not clearly bring out the impact of the Saudi Vision 2030 on the future of these states when the country finally diversifies its operations (Fattouh & Sen, 2016). This paper projects that once the citizenry of Saudi Arabia will develop economic stamina and financial independence when the country final implements the contents of its 2030 vision.

The Political and Social Implications of Vision 2030

Saudi Arabia has been one of the most politically stable oil-producing countries in the Middle East. Experts attribute this to the authoritarian leadership of the kingdom and the strict adherence to the Islam religion (Fattouh & Sen, 2016). The king of Saudi Arabia is the custodian of the two mosques that are considered to be most holy in the world. Therefore, political analysts believe that the leadership of Saudi Arabia strives to retain their reputation and ensure that they lead by example. But the implementation of vision 2030 development goals could see drastic changes in the country (Alshuwaikhat & Mohammed, 2017).

As indicated earlier, the main reason that Cuzzo (2016) connects the political stability in Saudi Arabia is the fact that the citizens mostly rely on the government for their economic well-being. However, one of the plans the authorities after implementation of the vision is to reduce the subsidies made on petroleum products, water, and electricity (Cozza, 2016). Such a move will make Saudi Arabians to become economically reliant and become free thinkers.

Furthermore, diversification of the Saudi economy could have a negative impact on the monarchy which has been controlling most activities of the oil production. The monarchy also has religious loyalists who advocate for its policies at the local level (Reed, 2016). The development in education is likely to lead to an eruption of a class of elite people ready to compete for the countries cabinet positions a move that is likely to be resisted by the monarchy. As such, analysts project that the country is likely to witness a wave of political demonstrations, anomalous of the Arab uprising (Reed, 2016), which could dismantle the monarchial kind of leadership and initiate a democratic form of government (Neil & Sprusansky, 2017). Similarly, civil rights organizations are likely to be formed in order to ensure that Saudi Arabians enjoy the basic human rights like any other people in the world.

Conclusion

The Saudi Vision 2030 is undoubtedly a game changer to the status quo in a country that has relied on its oil for posterity. With the increasing decline in the global prices of oil, this development plan is poised to ensure that Saudi Arabia remains one of the most developed countries in Asia. Nevertheless, as illustrated by Cuzzo, this shift in events is likely to have a great impact on the economic, political, and social aspects of Saudi Arabia.

References

Alshuwaikhat, H. M., & Mohammed, I. (2017). Sustainability matters in national development visions-Evidence from Saudi Arabia's Vision for 2030. Sustainability, 9(3), 408.

Cozza, J. (2016). Could vision 2030 reforms destabilize Saudi Arabia? IndraStra Global, (5), 3.

Fattouh, B., & Sen, A. (2016). Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, Oil Policy and the Evolution of the Energy Sector. Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, Oxford Energy Comment, July. https://www.oxfordenergy.org/wpcms/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Saudi-Arabias-Vision-2030-Oil-Policy-and-the-Evolutionof-the-Energy-Sector. pdf.

Fattouh, B., & Sen, A. (2016). Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, Oil Policy and the Evolution of the Energy Sector. Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, Oxford Energy Comment, July. https://www.oxfordenergy.org/wpcms/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Saudi-Arabias-Vision-2030-Oil-Policy-and-the-Evolutionof-the-Energy-Sector. pdf.

Neil, E., & Sprusansky, D. (2017). A Look at Saudi Arabia Vision 2030. The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, 36(1), 53.

Reed, M. (2016). Saudi Vision 2030: Winners and Losers. Canergie Endowment For International Peace, 2.