President Donald Trump visited Riyadh in May for the first major overseas trip of his second term, showering Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, with praise as “an incredible man” and a “great guy” at the investment summit. Amid applause and flashing cameras, Trump disregarded the kingdom’s human rights record—including the 2018 assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which U.S. intelligence linked to MBS—while celebrating Saudi pledges of billions in defense and AI deals, including a reported $142 billion weapons agreement. This warm embrace underscores the delicate dance of interests that define Saudi Arabia’s global image: a nation trying to achieve its ambitions under Vision 2030, yet shadowed by repressive actions that test the boundaries of international acceptance.

In Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy has woven a striking paradox: a society where personal satisfaction often rivals that of democracies, even as repression remains a cornerstone of its rule. The latest FII Priority Global Survey reveals that 84 percent of Saudis express contentment with their lives, lifted by free healthcare, low inflation, and expanding economic and social freedoms. Critics contend this happiness is a brittle construct, engineered by a state that criminalizes dissent. Yet, for a rising generation, these gains have bred a loyalty so deep that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman—known as MBS—might well triumph in a hypothetical election, despite the kingdom’s lack of democratic institutions. Unelected but relatively attuned to public desires, the Saudi government has threaded popular aspirations into its ambitious Vision 2030, crafting an image of stability and well-being that veils the autocracy’s unyielding suppression of opposition.

This satisfaction comes from a system where power is inherited rather than contested, and........

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