SAUDI CROWN Prince Mohammed bin Salman appears confident he has overcome the international backlash that followed the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi 13 months ago. Last week, the annual investment conference the kingdom sponsors saw the return of senior government officials and business executives who boycotted it last year, soon after a killing that U.S. intelligence concluded was ordered by the crown prince. On Sunday, the Saudi oil company, Aramco, announced that it was finally going forward with its first public share offering, an initiative Mohammed bin Salman has been touting since 2016.
Before Western investors pile in, they ought to consider how Saudi Arabia has changed in the nearly five years since its previous ruler, King Abdullah, died, as a new report by Human Rights Watch shows.