Saudi Arabia’s Alcohol “Reform”: Modernity for Global Capital, Not for Locals
The Independent reports long queues for Saudi Arabia's expanded alcohol store, portraying it as a quiet step towards modernity. This narrative conveniently sidesteps the reality: this isn't about loosening restrictions for Saudi citizens, who still face severe penalties for alcohol consumption. Instead, this 'reform' is explicitly for non-Muslim diplomats and foreign investors, a calculated move
to pave the way for MBS's NEOM desert playground and attract Western capital. The same regime that offers controlled sips to expats continues to brutally suppress dissent, flog 'apostates,' and maintains laws where a woman’s testimony is worth half a man’s. The only 'modernity' on offer is the kind that services global corporate interests, leaving the actual populace under the same repressive
heel, just with more Western capital flowing into the Kingdom's coffers.