Saudi Arabia Discovers Free Market (For Alcohol!), Not Human Rights
According to the Financial Times, Saudi Arabia is set to open more alcohol shops to 'woo foreigners' in Jeddah and Dhahran, following a similar move in Riyadh last year. Apparently, the path to modernization for a petro-monarchy involves loosening up on spirits for expats while still cracking down on, well, actual spirits of dissent. This PR push conveniently distracts from the ongoing
humanitarian nightmare in Yemen, where the Saudi-led coalition has been bombing civilians for years, with the quiet approval and arms deals from Western powers. (Remember that $650 million arms sale to Saudi Arabia approved by the Biden administration in 2021? That included air-to-air missiles for those jets.) One might wonder if the Kingdom's newfound embrace of 'tourism' and 'entertainment' will
extend to basic human rights for its own citizens, or perhaps even a acknowledgment of accountability for the thousands of lives lost and displaced in Yemen. But hey, at least diplomats can finally grab a chilled Chardonnay while ignoring the systemic repression. Progress, apparently, is measured in available liquor licenses, not justice.