Since Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced the vision of 2030, the pro-media media outlets focused on sharing news of this vision, and then they suddenly stopped mentioning it, until people forgot about this vision.
In order to evaluate the success or failure of that vision, it is necessary to consider its goals and see if they were achieved or not.
The most important goal in Vision 2030, which was announced by the Saudi crown prince, is the diversification of the Saudi economy.
The strategy of Vision 2030 was to diversify the economy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by gradually decreasing the dependence on oil production revenue. The Saudi Crown Prince made a commitment to people that in 2020 the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would survive and remain strong and rich without oil.
Considering we are in the eighth month of 2020, let us reflect on the achievements of the Saudi Crown Prince. In 2020, which the Saudi Crown Prince promised will be the year of living without oil, the Saudi state’s general budget witnessed an unprecedented deficit in its history, despite increasing the added tax rate from 5% to 15%.
In 2020, material and moral losses of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia increased as a result of the open war on Yemen, which was launched by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the behest of the United Arab Emirates, which retracted of war, and withdrew its forces, and was content with the gains it had achieved in South Yemen and the seizure of the shores of the south to serve its economic interests, leaving Saudi Arabia mired in a fierce war that threatens its finances and security, especially after Houthis developed their competencies and struck vital places inside it. There is a possibility that this development was supported by the UAE against Saudi Arabia.
In the same year, oil prices fell to almost zero due to the economic crises that struck the world due to the spread of the Coronavirus, which led to a decline in production and consumption in the world, therefore Saudi Arabia did not take a single step towards the diversified economy that bin Salman promised the people of the Kingdom.
The economic losses for Saudi Arabia continued to increase, especially when it entered into a war with Russia, due to the Crown Prince’s lack of experience in political negotiation with countries, resulting in more losses where the value of the Saudi Sovereign Fund’s money declined, after squandering its money on the illusionary NEOM Project.
NEOM, the city stained with the blood of the people of the Kingdom, built on their suffering due to their forced displacement from their homes and lands, consumed billions of the Sovereign Fund of Saudi Arabia after regional and international investors retreated from investing in it after realizing the reality of the illusion, however, MBS went on with the path of failure, throwing billions of dollars in the desert of the Kingdom without bringing any material or moral revenue to the people and economy of the Kingdom.
Today, we are on the cusp of 2022, and the most important question remains, has Vision 2030 achieved its goals? Is there hope in achieving its goals, or will it fade away as it faded from the Saudi media outlets?
