Economics
Saudi Arabia Quietly Revises Prince's Transformation Plan
- Targets for 2020 lowered or shifted in new version of program
- Revisions inevitable as grand plan moves forward, analysts say
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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.