Saudi Arabia Quietly Revises Prince's Transformation Plan - Bloomberg

Saudi Arabia Quietly Revises Prince's Transformation Plan - Bloomberg:

Saudi Arabia has quietly revised its plan to overhaul its government and economy by 2020, lowering some targets as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s ambitions bump up against the reality of implementation.

The scaled-back blueprint -- posted unannounced online -- doesn’t affect major fiscal or energy-related reforms. But the lowered bar is a sign that parts of the original plan were overly optimistic, and illustrates the challenges ahead for the prince, whose reputation has been tarnished by the killing of critical journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate.

The National Transformation Program, originally released in 2016, was designed to overhaul the Saudi economy and prepare for life after oil, setting hundreds of targets to achieve over four years. Its revision is much narrower in scope, with most economic, energy and housing-related goals now falling under other programs that are part of the prince’s broader "Vision 2030."