Saudi Arabia’s ‘normalisation’ baffles global business

Saudi Arabia’s ‘normalisation’ baffles global business:

"A screen flashed quotes from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman extolling Saudi Arabia’s youth and two musicians in white robes played traditional instruments as global business leaders were treated to a rich buffet of Saudi cuisine. It was the last day of the World Economic Forum, and just outside the main conference hall, MbS’s foundation was marketing the kingdom to the world. A country usually associated with religious intolerance and backwardness was pressing the message that it was normalising — and should no longer be seen as a social outcast. For the chief executives gathered in Davos last week, however, gastro diplomacy was of less interest than the prince’s extraordinary purge of cousins and businessmen in an “anti-corruption” campaign. In October, leading financiers and bankers were treated to a Davos-in-the-desert extravaganza at the Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh, where the crown prince, the country’s de-facto ruler, portrayed a new oil kingdom open for business and determined to join the 21st century. "



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