This is how Saudi Arabia wants to improve its image – while people are still being executed – Zug, foreigners and too little money

Saudi Arabia is allowing what was unthinkable for a long time: an alcohol store will open in the capital Riyadh in the coming weeks. However, only registered and non-Muslim diplomats have the privilege of purchasing alcohol in the strictly Islamic country.

This reopening is one of many changes the country has undergone in recent years. The change continues: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia wants to establish itself as an international player in various areas, whether in business or sports – and is halfway through its ‘Vision 2030’ program.

Ambitious future strategy

‘Vision 2030’ is a multi-layered strategy by Saudi Arabia to transform the country; it was first presented in 2016. The strategy was spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and developed with the help of renowned management and strategy consultancy McKinsey.

The focus is on becoming more independent of oil. Over the past hundred years, the Gulf state has benefited from supplying the world with its ‘black gold’, becoming one of the twenty richest countries in the world. But the global climate crisis, which could keep the world almost completely off oil in the future, is forcing Saudi Arabia to reconsider.

The new strategy includes modernization and liberalization steps. The aim is a social and cultural reform, but also an economic one: for example, measures have been taken to make Saudi Arabia more attractive to foreign companies, especially when it comes to long-term investments.

Planned city “Neom”

The country’s infrastructure is also being expanded on a large scale and international tourism is being promoted. Until now, it was mainly Muslim pilgrims who traveled to Saudi Arabia and visited the holy places of Mecca or Medina. Saudi Arabia is now poised to become a popular tourist destination for non-Muslims.

A futuristic settlement project called ‘Neom’ will be built in the northwest of the country. An area of ​​26,500 square kilometers is planned for the new mega project, which is almost the size of Belgium.

What is planned is ‘The Line’, a 170 km long band city for a million inhabitants. In addition, a winter and mountain sports resort called “Trojena” will be built at an altitude of 1,500 to 2,600 meters above sea level. The 2029 Asian Winter Games will be held in “Trojena”.

‘Neom’ is intended to become an independent economic zone, which has its own legal and tax system, but is not politically sovereign.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is committed to sustainability: the energy needs of the entire area must come from wind and solar energy. In addition, 6,500 hectares of the surrounding land will be converted into agricultural land, with the government mainly dependent on genetically modified crops.

The Saudi government has high hopes for the new project, claiming that construction will create 380,000 new jobs and increase the country’s gross domestic product by $48 billion. It is still unclear exactly when the mega project will be completed.

But various human rights organizations criticize the large-scale project. The activist Lina Al-Hathloul is a lawyer and draws attention to the eviction of the Howeitat. This is a Bedouin tribe that has settled in the northwest of the country for centuries. Apparently the Howeitat are getting in the way of the construction work for “Neom”. Several people were sentenced to prison terms of up to 50 years for refusing to leave their homes.

Sports as soft power

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has a different vision for his country: he wants Saudi Arabia to host a variety of international sporting events, such as the recent Spanish Super Cup. He would also like to equip the Saudi football teams with top athletes. This project is expensive: since 2016, Saudi Arabia has spent $50.8 billion on sports sponsorship.

But the efforts seem worth it: football legend Cristiano Ronaldo moved to the Saudi football club Al-Nassr in January 2023. Three other superstars followed with the Brazilian Neymar and the French Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kanté. Other players who will now play for a Saudi club are Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Riyad Mahrez and Roberto Firmino.

Major international sporting events are also increasing: the Asian Winter Games will come to Saudi Arabia in 2029 and the major Football World Cup will be held in the kingdom in 2034.

One theory as to why Saudi Arabia is focusing on bringing top athletes and major sporting events to the country is that Crown Prince bin Salman is now increasingly relying on “soft power.” This means: He wants to subtly gain more influence and prestige. This way you can avoid pursuing a “hard power” strategy. This is based on economic and military strength – which was the Gulf state’s main strategy for many years.

196 executions in one year

Although many things are changing and Saudi Arabia wants to improve its external image, one thing remains the same: criticism will not be tolerated in the new Saudi Arabia. Amnesty International writes:

The number of executions has also increased in recent years. According to Amnesty International, Saudi Arabia has one of the highest execution rates in the world. In 2022, 196 people were executed. This is the highest annual execution rate Amnesty International has recorded in Saudi Arabia in three decades – three times higher than in 2021 and at least seven times higher than in 2020.